Golden Age Nursing Home - Fitchville, OH - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
The Ohio historical marker here documents a major nursing home fire which lead to improvements in the fire safety building codes. The building's owner indicated that many of the residents could have been saved had they not panicked by going back to their beds. The building had an undivided attic and no automatic sprinkler system. Three portable fire extinguishers were available, but no local manual fire alarm.

Front marker text: "Golden Age Nursing Home Fire"
Located one mile north of Fitchville, the Golden Age Nursing Home caught fire and burned to the ground at 4:45 a.m., November 23, 1963, killing 63 of 84 patients. Fire departments from New London, Greenwich, North Fairfield, and Plymouth responded. Ignited by the arcing of overloaded wiring, the incident called for action to require sprinklers, automatic fire detection systems, and electrical wiring compliance to building codes in all nursing homes. The worst tragedy of its kind in the nation, the incident was overshadowed by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and was not widely reported. Twenty-one unclaimed bodies were interred in a 60-foot grave in Woodlawn Cemetery in Norwalk. Those killed in the fire are listed on the reverse.

Type of Structure: Private Building Fire Date: 11/23/1963 Structure status: Plaque Cause of Fire: arcing of overloaded wiring Documentation of the fire: [Web Link] Other: Not listed Construction Date: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. Did you learn anything after reading about the fire in the waymark? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.

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