07/07/2026
On a hot summer day, 82 years ago in Hartford, one of deadliest fires in the United States occurred. On July 6, 1944 The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was on Barbour St., performing a Thursday manatee to a crowd of about 7,000 mostly women and children as most of the men were involved in the war effort. The crowds were enjoying The Flying Wallendas when the band suddenly played "The Stars and Stripes Forever," a march that signaled distress to circus performers. The tent was on fire. Moments later, at 2:44 PM box 82, at the corner of Clark St and Westland St was pulled and Engine 7, along with other apparatus was dispatched.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters, the tent quickly burned to the ground, tragically killing an estimated 167 people and injuring over 700 more. Many factors, such as animal chutes blocking exits and a common water proofing method at the time, a mix of 1,800 pounds of paraffin wax dissolved in 6,000 gallons of gasoline made the situation worse.
Engine 7, the first arriving engine to this tragedy is on display at the museum for visitors to view and better understand a part of Connecticut history. The museum is open in conjunction with the Connecticut Trolley Museum.
