The alarms first sounded at 5:50 pm after the inmates were locked away in their cells for the night of April 21, 1930. The prison was home to 4,300 inmates, although the building was designed to house 1,500. There were no fire protections to speak of in the building because, sources claim, they were unnecessary as the Columbus Fire Brigade was only minutes away. But when firefighters arrived, they were not permitted to approach the building until prison officials were able to secure the building from all sides in order to prevent prisoners from escaping.
By the time the fire was over, 320 were dead and 133 injured in the deadliest prison fire in United States history.
