In order to better understand the conditions permitting a fire disaster to occur and to better postulate methods of fire prevention, an historic analysis of three fire disasters was performed. Journalistic accounts, official investigative studies and documents were examined concerning 3 fire disasters: (1) The General Slocum Ship Fire of 1904; (2) the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911; and (3) the Coconut Grove Nightclub Fire in Boston of 1942. Although the fires occurred on a ship, in a factory, and in a nightclub, several striking similarities were found.

(1) On June 15, 1904, the ship General Slocum embarked on a voyage up New York's East River, that ended in death for 1031 people. The ship, which was constructed entirely of wood, had recently passed inspection. The ship's crew, mostly longshoremen with little sea experience, had never fought a fire at sea. The hatches and bulkheads were flammable, the fire hoses were old and rotten, the fire buckets were out of reach and empty.