Rhythm Club fire 23/01/1940
The Rhythm Club Fire occurred on April 23, 1940 in Natchez, Mississippi; around 209 people were killed and over 200 were injured. All of the victims were African Americans. The club was a long, narrow building with corrugated iron walls and roof. All the windows had been boarded up to prevent people outside the club from entering or watching a performance through the windows. There were only two doors, both near the front of the building; one was locked. Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians were performing to a crowd of over 700 people when the fire broke out near the entrance around 11 p.m. The club’s decorations included Spanish moss hung from the ceiling, which had been sprayed with Flit, a petroleum-based insecticide. The moss quickly ignited, and the building’s metal construction prevented the heat from leaving the building. Many people were able to escape through the front door, while others pushed toward the back of the building, where they were unable to escape because there was no exit.
A Nightclub, A Fire...And a Generation Vanishes
Natchez, MS, is a charming city, full of the Antebellum pre-Civil War southern mystique and atmosphere found in only the rarest parts of America’s historical past. A quick glance of the inner city will stir emotions and make you blink your eyes in disbelief that such beauty still exists. But beneath the beauty lies a dark past leaving an impression that even here life is not safe from the ravages of fire. This is a unique look of 70 years of a fire’s history that continues to present itself in vivid memory in this community
Natchez Rhythm Club Fire
On 23 April 1940 the Rhythm Club on St. Catherine Street in Natchez was the scene of a great tragedy in American history. Around 11:15 p.m. a fire broke out in the hall, where a crowd of a few hundred people, mostly young African Americans and their teachers, were dancing to the music of the Walter Barnes Band. More than two hundred people, including nine of the twelve members of the band plus the leader, died of asphyxia or were burned by the flames after being trampled while trying to reach the venue’s door.
Natchez Burning: Anniversary of The Rhythm Club Fire
On the night of April 23, 1940, the Walter Barnes Orchestra played as the Rhythm Club burned in Natchez, Mississippi. Spanish moss covered in a highly flammable insecticide had become ignited and large flames developed quickly.
‘Screams you could hear all over town’; Remembering the Natchez Rhythm Night Club Fire
NATCHEZ, MS (WLBT) – A fire that happened more than 78 years ago changed the lives of a generation of African-Americans, and helped establish safety codes nationwide.
Remembering The Rhythm Night Club Fire
Shortly after 11 pm on April 23, 1940, a fire broke out at the Rhythm Night Club in the town of Natchez, MS. As a result, 207 people died and many others were seriously injured.
