Today in fire history: fire in library destroys estimated 200,000 books

On April 29, 1986, a fire occurred in the Central Library of Los Angeles, California. The 400 occupants evacuated the library in about eight minutes without a mishap, but the ensuing fire resulted in a commitment of over 70 pieces of fire apparatus and nearly 350 firefighters, and took 7.5 hours to extinguish. Fifty-five firefighters suffered minor injuries during fire suppression. The fire destroyed an estimated 200,000 books, the largest collection of patents in the western United States, and 2/3 of the library’s magazine collection. In addition, about half of the library’s 1.2 million volumes were damaged by water and...