 | |
| Date | May 15, 1929 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:30 AM |
| Location | Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 41°30′11″N 81°37′19″W / 41.503146°N 81.621946°W |
| Deaths | 123 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 92 |
| Property damage | US$50,000 (equivalent to $887,000 in 2023) |
| Awards | US$45,000 |
A major structure fire occurred at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on May 15, 1929. Flammable nitrocellulose X-ray film ignited in a basement storage room, emitting a poisonous yellowish-brown gas which spread throughout much of the Clinic and subsequently exploded several times.[1] The fire claimed 123 lives including that of one of the Clinic's founders, Dr. John Phillips.[2][3] Most of the deaths from the fire were due to toxic inhalation. Many were immediate; some were delayed by hours or even days. A policeman, Ernest Staab, rescued 21 victims from the fire, and left the scene, seemingly in good health. He later collapsed while working on his lawn, was hospitalized, but contrary to many contemporaneous newspaper articles[a] survived and worked for the police department for another 25 years.[7][6]
- ^ "Cleveland Clinic Fire". Retrieved 2009-06-16.
- ^ "Cleveland, OH Clinic Explosion and Fire, May 1929". Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Cleveland Clinic Disaster". Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "Policeman Dies After Taking 21 Out of Gas-Filled Clinic". New York Times. New York, NY. AP. May 16, 1929. p. 2. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Life Given Moving 21 Living and Dead". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. AP. May 16, 1929. p. 2. ProQuest 149968527. Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
- ^ a b Teed, Dexter (May 18, 1931). ""Creeping Death" Still Pursues Policeman-Hero of Great Cleveland Clinic Disaster of 1929". Grand Island Daily Independent. Grand Island, Nebraska. NEA. p. 13. Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Policeman Ernest Staab's Heroic Effort". Cleveland Historical. (Source: Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections / Corbis photo). Center for Public History + Digital Humanities. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
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