Our Lady of the Angels School fire building as in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. However, its interior was made almost entirely of combustible wooden materials—stairs, walls, floors, doors, roof, and cellulose fiber ceiling tiles. Moreover, the floors had been coated many times with both flammable varnish and petroleum-based waxes. There were only two (unmarked) fire alarm switches in the entire school, and they were both in the south wing. There were four fire extinguishers in the north wing, each mounted off the floor, out of reach for many adults and virtually all of the children. The single fire escape was near one end of the
The Great Fire of Key West became home to a privately owned telegraph fire alarm system. Buildings reconstructed after the fire often used wood, which is unusual for communities that have experienced such a massive fire event. The motivations for this appear to be economic: lumber was readily available in Key West due to the wrecking business. The wood used most often in wealthy homes was Dade County pine, which had high resistance to termites. However, many buildings destroyed in the fire (such as Fire House No. 1) were rebuilt with red brick. The Great Fire of Key West The Great Fire of Key West was