The Gillingham Fair fire disaster (also known as the Fireman's Wedding disaster) took place on 11 July 1929 in Gillingham, Kent, England, when a firefighting demonstration went wrong, and resulted in the deaths of 15 men and boys.
Disaster
Six men and nine boys between the ages of 10 and 14 had entered the house ready to enact their staged rescue when, for reasons which are unclear, the real fire was ignited prematurely in error, with disastrous consequences. Flames instantly took hold and spread the full height of the structure, trapping all the occupants inside the burning building. The firefighters were immediately aware that they were now dealing with a genuine emergency rather than a demonstration, but initially most spectators did not realize anything was amiss, taking the cries for help they heard to be part of the performance, and reportedly cheering and applauding what they believed to be realistic and spectacular effects, until they witnessed two boys with their clothing ablaze jump to their deaths from the top of the structure.
The fire was extinguished within a few minutes, but had been of such intensity that 13 people died at the scene. Two victims were rescued alive, but both died of their injuries in hospital, bringing the final death toll to 15. Ironically, the two initial survivors would die in the very hospital, St Bartholomew's, for which they had been intending to raise funds. The funerals of those who died were held on Wednesday 17 July; all shops in Gillingham remained closed on that day and thousands of people lined the two mile funeral route.
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