1949 St. Anthony's Hospital fire

1949 fire in Effingham, Illinois, USA May 2021 February 2025 1949 4 4 Shortly before Midnight Effingham, Illinois, U.S. 74 dead St. Anthony's Hospital fire was a disaster that occurred on April 4, 1949Groves Adam 2006 ST. ANTHONY'S HOSPITAL FIRE, EFFINGHAM: APRIL 4, 1949 https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/89/St%20Anthony%27s%20Hospital%20Fire%2C%201949.pdf?sequence=2 March 3, 2016 June 26, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225845/https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/89/St%20Anthony%27s%20Hospital%20Fire%2C%201949.pdf?sequence=2 dead in Effingham, Illinois. The disaster killed 74 people at the hospital. It is used as a prime example of possible fire hazards hospitals could and can have.http://buildingsafety.com/user/Tragedy%20at%20St%20Anthony%27s%20Hospital.pdf Archived copy 2010-06-26 2010-03-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20100331090134/http://buildingsafety.com/user/Tragedy%20at%20St%20Anthony%27s%20Hospital.pdf dead St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham, Illinois, was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis, who lived in a convent next door. Building The about 100-bed hospital was constructed mainly out of wood and brick.4 April 2017 LISTEN: Paul Davis Narrates Letter by Zona B. Davis on 1949 St. Anthony's Hospital Fire https://www.effinghamradio.com/2017/04/04/listen-paul-davis-narrates-letter-by-zona-b-davis-on-1949-st-anthonys-hospital-fire/ 2021-05-01 Effingham Radio en Parts of the building dated back to 1876. By 1949 the facility was completely outdated. It contained open corridors and staircases. Many walls and ceilings were covered with oilcloth fabrics and combustible soundproof tiles. The building lacked sprinklers as well as fire detection and alarm systems. thumb|Model of first St. Anthony Hospital in Gallery 5 A detailed scale model of the first St. Anthony Hospital is on display in Gallery 5 on the first level of the Effingham County Museum, 110 East Jefferson, Effingham, Illinois. The model was constructed by Museum volunteer Jo Thomas. It is positioned along a working model train route that contains many other historic structures from Effingham County history. The Effingham County Museum has other fire-related artifacts and photographs. It is open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Tuesdays and Saturdays from March through late December, and otherwise by appointment. Scheduled individual and tour group visits are welcomed. The Museum's mailing address is ECCCMA, Box 324, Effingham, IL 62401. Fire Shortly before midnight on April 4, 1949, a fire broke out at St. Anthony's Hospital. It spread rapidly through the building because of the open construction of the building and the combustible building materials. One of the victims, Frank Ries, was alerted about the fire shortly after it was detected after a hospital switchboard operator, Sister Anastasia Groesch, telephoned him to the hospital. He was called prior to the fire department and attempted to extinguish the fire by spraying a fire extinguisher down the laundry chute on each floor.Ruholl Linda They didn't get away: Victims of 1949 St. Anthony Hospital Fire https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/history/they-didnt-get-away-victims-of-1949-st-anthony-hospital-fire/article_6678bb6b-81ef-57a6-9209-16e79327de75.html 2021-05-01 Effingham Daily News 8 April 2019 en The fire had been reported to Sister Groesch by Sister Mary Edmunda Hiersig, who reported that she smelled smoke in the first floor around 11:30 pm as she was going off duty.Ruholl Linda February 11, 2019 They Got Away: Survivors of the 1949 St. Anthony Hospital fire https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/history/they-got-away-survivors-of-the-1949-st-anthony-hospital-fire/article_73f59987-ab6e-5d92-8897-d922fe4f5910.html 2021-05-01 Effingham Daily News en There were 116 patients and ten staff on duty when the fire started. Many of them were trapped on the upper floors by the rapid spread of the fire. These included eleven newborn infants in the nursery and the nurse who stayed behind with them.HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital, Effingham, IL https://www.hshs.org/stanthonys/ 2021-05-01 www.hshs.org Many who were on the first floor were able to either walk out or escape via low windows; however, many who jumped to escape from the fire from the second or third floors had long lasting injuries.11 May 2018 Last known survivor reflects on deadly Effingham hospital fire https://www.wandtv.com/news/last-known-survivor-reflects-on-deadly-effingham-hospital-fire/article_20b4210c-c0b0-568c-9392-8df3d17c6bea.html 2021-05-01 WAND-TV en Others were rescued by doctors and nurses who returned into the building multiple times until they were overcome by the fire or their injuries and unable to return into the building.Institute Fire Service LibGuides: Significant Illinois Fires: St. Anthony's Hospital Fire https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=416856&p=2840529 2021-05-01 guides.library.illinois.edu en The twenty-six men and three pumpers of the Effingham Volunteer Fire Department were under prepared for the rapidly spreading fire, that had already burned through the building roof within ten minutes of the fires being detected and the department arriving. The department was small and only had three pumping engines and no ladder trucks or other equipment to rescue patients trapped on the second or third floors. Eleven mutual aid departments also responded. Victims A total of 74 people died, including patients, nurses, nuns, a priest and Frank Ries, the hospital engineer who ran into the flames to try to rescue his wife.Glare in the Sky. Time Magazine, April 18, 1949. A historian for the Effingham County Museum stated that about 88% of the victims were either female or under the age of 12 years-old. Aftermath The Red Cross set up an inquiry bureau in the town to help victims and survivors family and friends identify and locate them. Blood plasma, blankets and other medical and relief supplies were also donated to victims by the Red Cross.Associated Press 5 April 1949 First List of Known Dead at Effingham; Red Cross Sets up Bureau to Help Trace Victims Mt Vernon Register News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35941782/article-on-st-anthony-hospital-fire-in/ 1 May 2021 Funds were raised to build a new hospital, through a letter campaign which sent about 293,500 letters that referenced the death of Nurse Fern Riley. Within two weeks the campaign raised $300,000 and ended with a total of $563,000 by the end of the summer.10 September 1951 Out of the Ashes; Hospital Will Rise in Effingham where 75 patients died in fire https://books.google.com/books?id=lE4EAAAAMBAJ&q=st+anthony%27s+hospital+fire&pg=PA49 LIFE Magazine The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, investigators quickly identified the many safety deficiencies at St. Anthony's Hospital. In response to the fire, Governor Adlai Stevenson ordered the evaluation of all the hospitals in the state to identify and mitigate fire hazards. The impact of the fire went beyond Illinois as hospitals across the United States made many of the fire protection improvements that are standard today. Commemoration thumb|Nurse Statue Commemorating St. Anthony Hospital Fire Year 2024 was the 75th anniversary of the fire. The Effingham Retired Volunteer Firefighters' Association collaborated with the administration of the new hospital and the City of Effingham to create and place a permanent memorial on the grounds. There were multiple purposes for the memorial, namely: (1) to create a wider awareness of the fire and its aftermath, (2) to honor those who died, (3) to honor those who lost someone in the fire, (4) to remember and honor those who fought the fire, and (5) to remember and give thanks to those who helped in any way during its aftermath. The statue was based on a drawing by a local artist, Jamie Stang Ellis.Raymond Steve March 21, 2024 Don't Want People to Forget Effingham and Teutopolis News Report A1 & A7 thumb|Base of statue with names of collaborators The unveiling of the statue took place on April 14, 2024. There was a brief ceremony. After a moment of silence, a color guard presented the colors. The color guard was made up of the Effingham American Legion Post 120, the Effingham VFW Post 1769, and the Effingham DAV Chapter 7. Speakers included the HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial President and CEO, Mayor Mike Schutzbach, and Retired Volunteer Firefighters Nick Althoff and Jim Wolters. The hospital chaplain blessed the statue before it was unveiled. The statue is of a nurse in a traditional 1940s uniform and cap. She is holding an infant wrapped in a blanket. It stands near the hospital's Prairie Cardiovascular entrance.Taylor Nick April 16, 2024 Stature Memorializing St. Anthony Hospital Fire Unveiled Effingham Daily News A1 & A2 References 39 7 32.3 N 88 33 2.5 W region:US-IL_type:event title Category:Fires in Illinois Category:1949 in Illinois Category:1949 fires in the United States Category:April 1949 in the United States Category:Hospital fires in the United States Category:Effingham, Illinois