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The Collinwood Fire

This is the last known photo taken inside the Lake View School in Collinwood, Ohio before it was consumed by fire on March 4, 1908, killing 172 students, two teachers, and one rescuer. The fire started when a ceiling joist ignited from a nearby steam pipe. Flames blocked escape routes, leading to panic and a stampede that trapped a large number of victims in a stairwell, where they were cooked alive. Additional casualties were incurred when burning students jumped from second- and third-story windows. Everyone in this photo perished, except for Mr. Olson, seated at the far right in the back row. The spectral artifacts in the photo remained unexplained.