William Booth Memorial Home fire

Coordinates: 37°48′47″S 144°57′21″E / 37.8130°S 144.9558°E The William Booth Memorial Home fire occurred on 13 August 1966 at the William Booth Memorial Home for destitute and alcoholic men in Melbourne, Australia, and remains as the nation's deadliest building fire. It started on the third floor after an alcoholic knocked over an illegal heater. The fire smoldered for several hours in room #1 and exploded after an inmate opened the room's door. A backdraft and flashover ensued, and fire and smoke engulfed the third and fourth floors. Most of the 30 men who died were caged in their cyclone mesh-covered rooms and had no time to escape.

The Salvation Army staff delayed their call to the Melbourne Fire Brigade in the mistaken belief they could control the fire. Due to the late arrival of the ambulance service the fire fighters were tied up in resuscitating the victims, delaying the rescue attempts.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

A mini documentary was made by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne) featuring interviews with the fire fighters and footage of the conflagration.^[6] A Movietone News clip was produced after the fire.^[7]

Shows the aftermath of Australia's deadliest building fire in 1966 at the William Booth Memorial Home, Melbourne

References

1. Plunkett, Geoff. "Let the Bums Burn: Australia's Deadliest Building Fire and the Salvation Army Tragedies"
2. "Towards a more disaster resilient and safer Victoria: Green Paper - Introduction". Government of Victoria. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
3. "Let the Bums Burn: Australia’s Deadliest Building Fire and the Salvation Army Tragedies". Retrieved 20 January 2015.
4. "29 Dead in Melbourne Home Fire. The Canberra Times, 15 August 1966".
5. Fire Protection Association Australia Magazine, Autumn 2015 "Blast From the Past: The William Booth Memorial Home Fire 1966"
6. Metropolitan Fire Brigade Mini Documentary, "1966 William Booth Memorial Home Fire"
7. Movietone News,"Night Horror: 29 Men Killed in Melb Fire Tragedy"