Given that the footprint of the theatre was small — and the theatre was intended to hold an audience of 1700 — the architect was forced to build high , but with disastrous consequences . On December 8 , 1881 , a fire broke out shortly before a performance of '' Les contes d'Hoffmann '' , and 449 people were killed . The following year , a new law was passed , regarding the outfitting and safety provisions , including safety curtains , outwards-opening doors and fireproofing of the set
a fire broke out
Ringtheater fire
Ringtheater