title: To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire
author:  David Cowan 
description: On December 1, 1958, a fire at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago killed 92 pupils, most between the ages of nine and 12, and three nuns. This deeply affecting account of that tragedy by two Illinois journalists recreates the horror that destroyed a school and parish. The causes of the tragedy were manifold: outdated fire laws that permitted an edifice built before 1908 to escape a code passed in 1949 to insure safer schools; severe overcrowding; delay in reporting the fire; nuns ordering their pupils to pray rather than try to escape. Nor did municipal and archdiocesan officials help matters, their philosophy being that the fire was best forgotten; when a former student admitted to setting the blaze, they tried to conceal his confession. One positive result of the fire were the safety improvements made in 16,500 U.S. school buildings within a year. Photos not seen by PW. <br />Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  Night
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  of
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Fire
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Iain Cameron
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2017 Iain Cameron ISBN:
  
  
  
  
  
  The right of Iain Cameron to be identified as the author of this work has been
  asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
  1988.
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
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  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the
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  To find out more about the author, visit the website: [www.iain-
  cameron.com](http://www.iain-cameron.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  For Evelyn, for your unstinting support and encouragement
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Also by I