Theatre Royal, Exeter fire kills 186 people
- When
- 5 September 1887
- Where
- Theatre Royal, Exeter
A fire broke out in the backstage area of the Theatre Royal in Exeter, England, during a performance of The Romany Rye, killing 186 people.
The fire caused panic throughout the theatre, with 186 people dying from a combination of the direct effects of smoke and flame, crushing and trampling, and trauma injuries from falling or jumping from the roof and balconies. The majority of the deaths occurred in the gallery, at the top of the theatre, where the single narrow staircase provided a bottleneck, worsened by the presence of a 'check-box' where patrons dropped their passes on the way out, directly at the top of the gallery stairway.
Sources
- Exeter Theatre Royal fire Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-21
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