On March 4, 1908, fire erupted in the Lakeview School killing 172 students, two teachers and one rescuer. The school had only two exits and one of them was blocked by flames. Students trying to leave by the rear exit had to squeeze into a narrow vestibule, where they stumbled and climbed on top of one another, forming a pile that completely blocked the exit. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the 1958 Our Lady of the Angels School fire that widespread regulations were adopted to prevent such mishaps from reoccurring.
