The exact cause of America's deadliest hotel fire is still unknown, but flammable materials on room doors, walls and furniture left in hallways contributed to the inferno. Following the fire, the emphasis on creating "fireproof" buildings shifted from measures designed to minimize property damage to measures meant to preserve human life and safety.
119 people died and 65 were injured in the Winecoff Hotel fire, which remains the nation's deadliest hotel fire. Among those killed were 30 high school students. Many of the youths were sleeping, two to a room, in the rear of the hotel where the windows had been covered by louvered shutters for privacy. (Source)
