1946 Canfield Hotel fire in Dubuque, Iowa...

history notes: In the early hours of June 9, 1946, a devastating fire erupted in the original four-story section of the Canfield Hotel in Dubuque, Iowa, rapidly consuming the building and tragically claiming 19 lives, including those of the hotel owner, William J. Canfield Sr., and his wife. The blaze started around 11:30 PM in a small closet near the cocktail lounge, likely ignited by discarded smoking materials, and spread quickly due to the absence of modern fire safety features such as sprinklers and fire-resistant materials. Guests scrambled to escape using fire escapes, life nets, and improvised ropes made from bed sheets, while the newer six-story annex of the hotel was spared major damage. The disaster exposed critical fire safety shortcomings in hotels of the era and, alongside other catastrophic fires in 1946, became a catalyst for sweeping reforms in building codes and fire regulations nationwide, including requirements for sprinkler systems and safer exit routes, fundamentally reshaping fire safety standards to protect future occupants.