More than 700 people bought tickets to see Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians perform on April 23, 1940. One of the two exits was padlocked to ensure only paying customers saw the band. The shuttered windows were also nailed shut. And, to literally add fuel to the fire, Spanish moss sprayed with a petroleum-based insecticide hung from the rafters. The fire was extinguished quickly, but not in time for the 209 people who died and the 200 more who were injured.
