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Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958
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Personal Experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire

If you have a personal experience, recollection or opinion about the December 1, 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire, whether you were present at the fire or not, you can relate it here. Any story or information is welcome as long as it relates to Our Lady of the Angels school fire.
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Posted by: Ashley On: 1/13/2009 ID: 457
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I know after hearing this I know i am now scared something could happen to my school. I am very sorry for what happend. It is a very sad time to familys of those victioms now 49 years later and people still talk about it. DROP DROP DROP I cryed today when I heared about this. My teacher had told us. I hate to hear things like this and I hope that some thing like that will never happen again.


Posted by: BPS On: 1/12/2009 ID: 456
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chattanooga Tennessee
I went to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Chattanooga, TN. We were taught by the same order of nuns who taught at OLA, the BVMs. I loved my grade school teachers and on December 2, the day after the fire, the mood at my school was somber. I was in fourth grade and my teacher was the saintly Sr. Lena. She told us why the nuns were talking to one another in hushed tones. They had lost members of their community, not to mention all the children who died or were injured. That fire made a huge impression on us. I have often thought of those children who died in terms of what I have done with my extra years. Many times I have prayed for their families and the survivors of the fire. This is a wonderful site. Thank you to those responsible.


Posted by: Gail On: 12/29/2008 ID: 455
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milwaukee,WI
I was in 5th grade at a school very much like Our Lady of the Angels and it left a big impression on me. I remember watching t.v. coverage of the fire and being so sad for all those children who were "just like me". For a long time after that I had a fear that it could happen to my school. We all took fire drills more seriously after that and even though we had to exit by fire escape, which I hated, I was always relieved to be out of the school after an alarm went off. Two years after that my school had a complete remodel to upgrade the fire safety. I'm sure as a result of the loss of all those innocent children, school fire safety for other children greatly improved.


Posted by: Ken Kellow On: 12/22/2008 ID: 454
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Darby, Pennsylvania
I attended Blessed Virgin Mary Parochial School in Darby Pennsylvania on the day of this tragedy. I was in the 6th grade. I cannot say how seriously the nuns at our school reacted. Although our school was just a few years old and had fire safety systems, we nevertheless were drilled several times so we could quickly evacuate if needed. I just want to say that these children did not die in vain. The deep pain that we felt at that time, and that many of us still feel today, did result in fire safety improvements. I hope that the children of this tragedy will always be remembered; especially by those to whom we entrust our children, and that something like this never happens again


Posted by: SHIRLEY POLZIN FRASSICA On: 12/22/2008 ID: 453
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE FOUND THIS SITE SO MANY YEARS AFTER THE FIRE. (12/20/08) I AM 72 YEARS OLD AND WAS 14 WHEN I WAS IN THE EIGHT GRADE. I WENT TO VISIT THE PASTOR OF OLA A FEW YEARS AFTER THE FIRE AND IT WAS ONE OF THE SADIST VISITS I EVER HAD.

I CAME OUT OF WORK ON DECEMBER 1, 1958 AND SAW THE LOS ANGELES HEADLINES REGARDING A CHICAGO SCHOOL FIRE. WHEN OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS (OLA) NAME APPEARED I ALMOST LOST MY BREATH. I NOT ONLY WENT TO THAT SCHOOL WHEN I WAS A CHILD BUT I HAD MANY FRIENDS THAT STILL HAD SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN THE SCHOOL. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME I TRIED TO CALL ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IN CHICAGO. I COULDN'T GET THOUGH. ALL THE LINES WERE TIED UP ETC. WHEN I DID GET THROUGH, MY FRIEND TOLD ME THAT HER SIBLINGS WERE SAFE BECAUSE THE FAMILY HAD MOVED JUST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE. SHE TOLD ME THAT OUR CLASSROOM WAS THE CLASSROOM THAT HAD THE MOST CASUALTIES. I REMEMBER THERE WAS A SMALL COURT YARD BEYOND THE SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THOSE CHILDREN THAT FELL OR JUMPED LANDED. THIS WAS OUR 8TH GRADE CLASSROOM AND I KNEW IT QUITE WELL.

MY HEART BREAKS WHEN I THINK OF WHAT HAPPENED, WHO IT INVOLVED, & WHO IT COULD HAVE INVOLVED. I KNOW THAT THE SARNO FAMILY LOST ONE CHILD IN THE FIRE (MAYBE MORE - I AM NOT SURE) THEY HAD MOVED TO HOLLYWOOD AND I REMEMBER SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR STORY BUT DON'T REMEMBER MOST OF THE THINGS IN THEIR STORY. I WENT TO THEIR RESTAURANT AT THE TIME (IN HOLLYWOOD) BUT CAN'T REMEMBER MUCH NOW. I DID NOT KNOW THEM THAT WELL WHEN I WAS IN CHICAGO BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY USE TO HAVE A GREAT PIZZA PLACE ON CHICAGO AVE. AS A MATTER OF FACT ONE OF THE LOST CHILDREN SHARED MY MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME (JO ANN CIOLINO) I WONDER IF WE WERE RELATED SOMEHOW?

AT THE TIME THAT I WENT TO OLA (I GRADUATED IN 1950) I LIVED ON DRAKE AVE. IN LATER YEARS WHEN I WAS IN MY LATE TEENS, I LIVED RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM OLA. (ON HAMLIN AVE.) MY THINKING ABOUT THIS SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY YET IT IS OVER 58 YEARS AGO. I AM SO VERY GLAD I DID NOT KNOW ANY OF THE CHILDREN THAT WERE KILLED IN THE FIRE YET EVERYONE OF THEM MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. IT'S LIKE VIEWING MY OWN CLASSMATES WHEN SEEING THE ABOVE PHOTOS OF THE VICTIMS.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW MY 8TH GRADE ROOM - MY 8TH GRADE TEACHER - MY 8TH GRADE CLASSMATES. THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I......


Posted by: Dan Niemiec On: 12/17/2008 ID: 452
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Westchester, CA
I was in 5th Grade at St. Jerome's Catholic Elementary School in Westchester, CA. At the time, I recall we had some 50+ students in our class. St. Jerome's was a modern (at the time) school. I remember my class being told of the tragedy at OLA and reading about it in LIFE magazine, the LA Times and seeing the newscasts on TV. Shortly thereafter, our fire drills took on a much more serious tone.

I happened upon the book "To Sleep with the Angels" a couple of years ago. It was a very emotional read to say the least. The firefighters, the school janitor, associate pastor and all the neighbors who rushed to aid those kids and nuns truly earned a place in heaven that day. God Bless to all.


Posted by: Mac McCarty On: 12/17/2008 ID: 451
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Granite City, Illinois
I was in 7th Grade on December 1, 1958. All 7th Graders attended one building in downtown Granite City (down state Illinois, across the riover from St. Louis). My Mom was Chief Nurse (Labor and Delivery Room) at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a couple of blocks from my school. Rather than ride the bus home, I would go to the Public Library after school and then walk to the Hospital to ride home with Mom.She had the radio on and we were talking about Christmas and the happy things of a 1950s Christmas. As we pulled into our driveway, there came the announcement that 24-hour cable has now turned into a relic of the past: "We interrupt our broadcast for a special news bulletin."The report gave only a few details: fire in Our Lady of the Angels Catholic grade school in Chicago. Chicago Fire Department struggling to bring the flames under control. Reports that as many as 100 children were missing and might be dead.Mom just put her head down on the steering wheel and began crying. "Oh, those poor Mothers--losing their babies at Christmas."We said a prayer and went inside, subdued, to watch for the reports on TV.Our school was older than OLA. Same highly waxed wood floors, lots of wood on the walls. We had fire drills every day until Christmas break.Ten years later, when I was a senior at Illinois State University, a girl I new was an OLA survivor (Barbara Sullivan--4th Grade).My wife is a classroom one-on-one aide in our local elementary school in Downingtown, PA. She has the same concerns that some children--in our supposedly fire-resistant modern schools--don't take fire drills as seriously as they should. Teachers and staff do--a legacy of that grim December day at Our Lady of the Angels.Eternal Peace grant unto them Oh Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine upon them, May their dear little souls rest in Peace.


Posted by: Greg J. On: 12/9/2008 ID: 450
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 6005 S. Melvina Ave. in Chicago
I was 10 years old at the time of this horrific event. My father
had come home and excitedly put on the TV to hear the latest news. (TV
was not allowed since 4 to 6pm. was for doing homework) On WGN there was a news broadcast about the OLA fire. I became sick at the reality of so many young "Angels" being taken by a fire just before Christmas.
The next day I went to the Nathan Hale School where I was in the
fifth grade. Sometime around 9:30 to 10:00am., I noticed Paul A. sobbing at his desk with his head in his arms. He was a good kid.
The teacher went over to comfort him and Paul left the room for a minute or so. At recess, I overheard some the teachers talking on the playground say that Paul had lost his cousin in the OLA fire. Being the 1950s, my friends and I left him alone and never asked him about the particulars of the fire.
Years later, when I became a CPS teacher, I always stressed the need to conduct a rapid, quiet, and orderly fire drill with our students. Our principal, who had a friend on the West side whose son perished in the fire, also was very strict about having students exit as quickly and safely as they could. My heart will always go out to the "little angels" we lost that tragic day in December, 1958. May God bless them and the surviving families touched by this horrible tragedy.


Posted by: DL On: 12/8/2008 ID: 449
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Kenosha, Wisconsin
I can still remember the incredible sadness I felt in December 1958 when, as an eight-year-old girl living an hour north of Chicago in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I learned of the fire at Our Lady of Angels. Even though I was so young, I read everything I could about the fire because, in my own way, I wanted the children who died to be remembered. And, at the time I was going to a parochial school that, like Our Lady of Angels, was old and had open stairwells. I remember in particular reading a story done in one of the Chicago papers (I believe the American) about one little girl who died as representative of all who passed away. She seemed so much like me at the time; the story said she had been eagerly awaiting Christmas and reported about her in a way that made you feel you knew her. To this day, I still feel a deep emotional attachment to Our Lady of Angels.


Posted by: Elizabeth Finlay On: 12/8/2008 ID: 448
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
My mom was an 8th grader in Rm 209 the day of the fire. I have spoken with her several times about that day, and it brings tears to both of our eyes every time. On the 50th Anniversary of the tragedy we read the Chicago Tribune together and cried again. She lost her cousin and several friends in the fire. Among the pictures published in the tribune’s anniversary story was of her aunt among other worried parents.

I rarely talk about it with other people because I am not sure they can truly grasp the horrid innocent without speaking to someone who was there that day. I am starting to speak more about it because I don’t want the memory of the victims and families to be lost. I am thankful for this website. It is important to be able to continue to remember those involved and honor those who helped save many lives.

My mom always says that if it weren’t for Father Joe she wouldn’t be alive. Thank you Father Joe for saving her life and the life of many others.