The Stench of Burning Flesh Trivia Quiz

Answer: Honduras

This terrible tragedy occurred when a convict in this over-crowded Honduran prison set fire to his mattress. Guards were hampered in opening the cells and gates and many prisoners were locked inside with no way to escape. Many international organizations are claiming civil rights violations and safety violations occurred in this fire.

It is said that some prisoners who jumped over prison walls in order to escape the fire were shot. It was the third prison fire in less than 10 years in that country, with an accumulated death toll of almost 600 men.

Answer: Circus

During a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano, one of the big-top tents caught fire. After investigation, this tragedy was blamed on an act of arson by an angry ex-employee who was subsequently sent to prison. There are some people who claim that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring but was covered up to avoid liability and lawsuits.

In 1944, a Hartford, Connecticut circus fire took the lives of over 170 people when the big top caught fire.

Answer: The number is unknown

While only six deaths were officially recorded after this conflagration, the count is believed to have been much higher as the fire destroyed seven out of every eight homes. It burned over 13,000 homes, 87 churches and most of the business sector. The reason for the low death count is believed to have been caused by the fact that the deaths of poor and middle class victims were not recorded in official records and also that many of the bodies may have been completely burned to ash in the fire. There are many modern estimates that put the death toll above 5,000.

The fire started in a bakery oven and high winds caused it to spread rapidly.

Answer: False

The Black Saturday bushfire, which have been blamed on lightning, arson, and sparking power lines, left an indelible mark in Victoria, Australia. Over 170 people were killed and one million acres burned when a group of over 400 separate bush fires burned all over Victoria on February 7, 2009.

A 50 year drought made conditions ripe for bush-fires. It took over a month to put out all the fires. Photographs of the smoke were taken from outer space and high winds spread the smoke all the way to New Zealand.

Answer: A French cargo-ship

On December 6,1917 the SS Mont-Blanc, a French ship which was carrying a full load of explosives was involved in a collision with the SS Imo. The ensuing explosion and fire killed over 2,000 people and injured another 9,000. The damage caused by the initial explosion destroyed most of the city and all help had to travel many miles just to get to the outskirts of the city, which was consumed with flames. Amazing photographs of this incident can be found on the Internet.

Answer: Earthquake

This devastating catastrophe was caused by an earthquake and was responsible for the deaths of at least 100,000 people. The exact number killed directly by fire, as opposed to building collapse etc. cannot be ascertained for sure. The 1923 great Kanto earthquake caused fires to rage out of control in Tokyo, Yokohama and other smaller cities on the island of Honshu. High winds from a nearby typhoon caused the flames to spread rapidly and most of those who died did die in the ensuing fires.

Answer: Chicago

The great Chicago fire of 1871 has been blamed on a variety of things including Mrs. Catherine O'Learys cow, meteors, and deliberate arson. However it started, it caused the complete annihilation of over three square miles of the city of Chicago. Almost 100,000 people were left homeless and had a final death toll of around 300 people. Known as the "Windy City", these winds had a lot to do with quick spread of the fire as was an ongoing drought in the area.

It should be noted that on the very same day in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, over 1,500 people were burned to death in a naturally occurring firestorm. Ironically, this latter fire is somewhat, a forgotten tragedy.

Answer: USS Forrestal

After an electrical malfunction caused the accidental discharge of a Zuni rocket on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal a major fire ensued which killed 134 men and injured over 160. The ship was located in the Gulf of Tonkin, and was engaged in combat operations connected to the Vietnam War.

The final financial cost was over $70 million. This number does not count the cost of the 50 or more aircraft that were destroyed or jettisoned. The fire did not cause the ship to sink but it did lead to a major overhaul of all fire safety rules and regulations.

Answer: True

The Iroquois Theater fire was both the deadliest single building fire and the deadliest theater fire when it occurred on New Year's Eve in 1903. Over 600 people, many of them children died in this catastrophe at the famous Chicago theater. Ironically, when it was built, it was advertised as "Absolutely Fireproof" and boasted having to most modern fire preventive safety measures built in. On an inspection before the building opened in November of 1903, it was noted that the edifice did not have any sprinklers, alarms, telephones, extinguishers and no water connections for fire hoses. the fire was started when a stage curtain was ignited when a stage light shorted out.

Answer: Toys

Located in Thailand, The Kader Toy Factory produced millions of toys for Disney, Mattel and other large toy companies. Most of the employees were young women from rural areas. There were no fire or emergency exits of any kind and the only existing doors to the outside were locked so that the employees could not leave without permission. Fire alarms did not work, and the fire department was not called for hours after the initial fire was discovered. Almost 200 young women were killed and over 500 were severely injured by fire, or by jumping out of 4th and 5th story windows, in often futile attempts to save themselves.