Amazing Tales from CT: The Deadliest Fire in Federal Prison History

We encourage you to tune in to our newest program, Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut's Beaten Path, which airs Sunday afternoons at 4:30 right after the Opera.

 

Amazing Tales uses a story-telling format to focus on historically significant people, places, and events from Connecticut’s past. Host Mike Allen interviews subject matter experts on a variety of historical topics.

He specializes in bringing local history to life, by using his journalism and story-telling skills with podcasting and public speaking. For 15 years, Mike worked as a radio journalist, both at NPR's Boston affiliate WBUR and as News Director at i-95 (WRKI-FM) in western Connecticut. He subsequently worked in government and corporate before retiring and starting his podcast. As a resident of Connecticut for more than 50 years, Mike also makes public appearances throughout the state, speaking on topics of local history.

 

It was anything buy “lucky 7’s” at Danbury’s Federal Prison on July 7, 1977. In fact, it marked the day of the deadliest fire at a federal prison in U.S. history. The inmates inside Dormitory G were trapped for a time inside the housing unit during a middle-of-the-night blaze that spewed toxic smoke into the confined area, causing nearly 100 casualties. Hear the harrowing story and the heroic actions that were taken that night from two persons who were on the scene, Medical Unit Physician Assistant Bob Young and former Danbury Police Lieutenant Bob Lovell, the first person on the scene.