The Cocoanut Grove fire was the second-deadliest single-building fire in American history . At 10:15 PM on November 28 , 1942 the fire began when a short in the electrical wiring ignited gas leaking from a faulty refrigeration unit . The fire eventually claimed 490 lives , and injured 166 more . Only the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago had a higher death toll at 605
Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
Boston Fire Department