Today in fire history: an early morning fire in a dormitory resulted in the deaths of ten female students

In the early morning hours of December 13, 1977, a fire occurred at Aquinas Hall, a dormitory at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. This fire resulted in the deaths of ten female students who were resident s of the fourth floor. The primary fuel for the fire was highly combustible Christmas decorations that had been put up in the corridors. Physical evidence indicates that the fire started near a fourth floor sleeping room. Aquinas Hall was of mixed construction with a majority of the building being protected by non- combustible construction. It's a four story building with the first...