Grue Church

May 26, 1822 – Norway's deadliest church fire occurred on this day when Grue Church burned to the ground, killing 113 people.

Parts of the church dated to the 13th century, and it had undergone numerous renovations during its roughly 600-year history. One deadly design flaw was a set of entrance doors that opened inward. When fully opened, some of these doors also obstructed access to the galleries above.

The church was packed for a Pentecost service. Although its capacity was about 600 people, the exact number in attendance is uncertain. No one knows what started the fire, but it apparently began on an exterior wall and quickly spread inward. The blaze raced through the building because much of the wooden structure had been coated with pine tar for weather protection.

Panic erupted as worshippers rushed for the exits. The inward-opening doors created deadly bottlenecks, trapping many people inside. The church was destroyed in less than 20 minutes.

Only one of the victims could be positively identified afterward, reportedly because a sword found with the remains revealed his identity. Most of those who died were women and children; only seven adult men were among the dead.

One lasting consequence of the disaster was a change in Norwegian building regulations requiring doors in public buildings to open outward, a safety measure that later became standard throughout much of the world.