only had three pumping engines and no ladder trucks or other equipment to rescue patients trapped on the second or third floors. Eleven mutual aid departments also responded. Victims A total of 74 people died, including patients, nurses, nuns, a priest and Frank Ries, the hospital engineer who ran into the flames to try to rescue his wife. A historian for the Effingham County Museum stated that about 88% of the victims were either female or under the age of 12 years-old. Aftermath The Red Cross set up an inquiry bureau in the town to help victims and survivors family and friends identify and locate them. Blood plasma, blankets and other medical and relief supplies were also donated to victims by the Red Cross. Funds were raised to build a new hospital, through a letter campaign which sent about 293,500 letters that referenced the death of Nurse Fern Riley. Within two weeks the campaign raised $300,000 and ended with a total of $563,000 by the end of the summer. The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, investigators quickly identified the many safety deficiencies at St. Anthony's Hospital. In response to the fire, Governor Adlai Stevenson ordered the evaluation of all the hospitals in the state to identify and mitigate fire hazards. The impact of the fire went beyond Illinois as hospitals across the United States made many of the fire protection improvements that are standard today. References Fires in Illinois 1949 in Illinois 1949 fires in the United States Building and structure fires in the United States April 1949 events in the United States Hospital fires