LANSING, Mich. – On Dec. 11, 1934, the Kerns Hotel in Lansing caught fire, killing 34 people, including seven Michigan lawmakers.
State lawmakers and community leaders would stay at the four-story hotel when visiting Michigan’s capital. Just before the fire, the Legislature had been called to Lansing for a special session regarding the November election, and many booked rooms at the Kerns Hotel.
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Authorities believe the fire was started by a cigarette that was carelessly discarded by the hotel manager in his office.
At the time, there were 211 rooms and a popular restaurant inside the Kerns Hotel. The building was 25 years old with a brick exterior and a wooden interior.
At about 5 a.m., Dec. 11, 1934, a janitor working in a building across the street saw a curtain on the hotel’s second floor on fire.
After he called the fire department, the entire second floor was engulfed. When fire crews arrived, the building was almost entirely ablaze.
An estimated 215 guests were registered that morning. Most escaped by using the fire escape on the building’s south side, leaping into nets from the fire department or being rescued by fire crews with ladders.
The fire spread quickly through the wooden interior, trapping many inside rooms. Flames were believed to have been sucked up the elevator shafts and stairway, blocking escape routes for many.
About two hours after the fire was reported, the brick walls caved in.
By the time the fire was extinguished, 32 people were killed and 44 people were injured. Another two died later.
Survivors recalled being woken by screams. Some reports said several people drowned after jumping into the icy Grand River from their hotel windows, but no bodies were recovered from the water.
Among those killed were seven Michigan lawmakers -- a state senator and six representatives -- prompting special elections in 1935.
Sen. John Leidlein was identified by the keys found with his body.
Five victims were burned beyond recognition.
Days later, lawmakers returned to the Capitol, no longer discussing the election, but to institute new safety regulations in the state.
With 34 known victims, it remains one of the deadliest building fires in Michigan to this day.
Rememberance Park now stands where the Kerns Hotel once did. It is designated a Michigan Historic Site.