HARTFORD, Conn. — Eighty years ago today, Barbour Street in Hartford was packed, as thousands of people made their way to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.
The weather was sunny, temperatures were soaring, the north end was bustling, and scores of children were excited for the show that was to take place inside a massive tent.
Between 6,000 and 8,000 people sought a reprieve from the summer heat by attending the matinee performance that featured trapeze artists, clowns, animal trainers and more. Little did they know that the worst disaster in the history of Hartford awaited them, as 168 people would be killed and 682 more injured during the ensuing fire.
Unfortunately, a sign of bad luck revealed itself the day before, as the circus’ trains were late to arrive in Hartford, forcing the cancelation of a show. In circus culture, cancelling a show is a bad omen.
The circus on July 6 began normally with an exhibition by French lion tamer Alfred Court. But as the Great Wallendas, renowned trapeze artists, took their positions and began their routine, turmoil would unfold.
It is widely speculated that just outside of the tent, someone disposed of a cigarette near the partition to the men’s toilet, starting a small fire. Once the fire contacted the tent canvas, the it spread rapidly, first engulfing the southwest side of the tent.
It didn’t help that the canvas was waterproofed using highly flammable paraffin wax thinned with gasoline. After one of the performers screamed, “The tent’s on fire,” bandleader Merle Evans and his musicians began playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” to signal that a horrible event was unfolding, according to ConnecticutHistory.org. Ringmaster Fred Bradna pleaded with attendees not to panic and to leave in an orderly fashion, but his microphone cut off when the power failed.
Flames surged and spread at a terrifying pace, reaching 100 feet high. Patrons rushed for the exits, but several of the entry points were blocked by animal cages that were being moved in and out of the tent. Bottlenecks formed, and patches of the burning canvas began raining down on the attendees. Some survivors slashed holes in the tent to escape. By all accounts, it was pure chaos.
“Many people were caught up in the hysteria,” Guilfordfire.com said. “Witnesses said some simply ran around in circles trying to find their loved ones, rather than trying to escape from the burning tent. Some escaped but ran back inside to look for family members. Others stayed in their seats until it was too late, assuming that the fire would be put out promptly.”
Despite the attempts of ushers to put out the flames with buckets of water, little could be done to slow the fire. It took less than 10 minutes for the fire to burn through the poles and support ropes, sending what remained of the 19-ton canvas onto those who had not already exited the scene.
By the time firefighters extinguished the blaze, the loss of life was enormous and hundreds more were injured. Most of the victims succumbed to the fire and smoke, but some were also trampled. Authorities determined that the fire was an accident most likely caused by a cigarette but did not charge anyone with starting it.
Several Ringling Bros. officials were singled out, as four men were charged with negligence for a lack of fire preparation by circus management. Investigators discovered that at the time of the fire, the circus’ fire extinguishers were packed away in a storage unit that could not be easily reached, while its fire trucks were parked more than a quarter mile away. The circus also failed to inform the Hartford Fire Department about their arrival and scheduled performance, investigators said.
RELATED: Survivors of historic Hartford circus fire share the horrific memories at the remembrance event
Four circus officials pleaded no contest and were imprisoned for around a year before being pardoned. The circus also agreed to pay close to $5 million to the families of the victims in a 1954 settlement, the equivalent of nearly $60,000,000 today.
ConnecticutHistory.org said that in 1950, police in Ohio arrested Robert Dale Segee for starting numerous fires. Under interrogation, the former circus employee who worked the 1944 Hartford performance confessed to starting the fire, along with other capitol crimes such as murder. Segee was hospitalized for paranoid schizophrenia before taking back his confession years later.
Following the fire, Connecticut implemented more stringent fire safety regulations for public performances. A memorial dedicated to the victims now exists behind Wish School in Hartford at the site of the fire, and a grave marker at the Northwood Cemetery in Windsor remembers the victims laid to rest.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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