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On July 6, 1944, the Hartford circus fire under the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey big top in Hartford, Connecticut killed 167 people and injured over 700 when the paraffin-and-gasoline-waterproofed canvas tent ignited during an afternoon performance attended by roughly 7,000 spectators.
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Dark HistoryJul 10, 2026

On July 6, 1944, the Hartford circus fire under the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey big top in Hartford, Connecticut killed 167 people and injured over 700 when the paraffin-and-gasoline-waterproofed canvas tent ignited during an afternoon performance attended by roughly 7,000 spectators.

The Big Top Burned. Hartford, Connecticut, July 6, 1944. Seven thousand people packed the circus tent. The canvas was waterproofed with paraffin and gasoline. It caught fire mid-show. The whole roof went up in six minutes. 167 died, mostly women and children.

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Source

Stewart O'Nan, 2000, 'The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy'

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