![]() ![]() “The biggest library fire in American history had been upstaged by the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. The Los Angeles Library fire was the biggest fire in American history but timing meant it was overshadowed in the news. In fact, more than 700,000 books were damaged that day and it took years to repair some of them – the same amount that you would find in roughly 15 average-sized libraries. ![]() ![]() Even today, after all of these years, there are books dotted around the shelves that were saved but still smell of smoke. The fire burnt for more than 7 hours that day and reached temperatures of 2000 degrees so it is a miracle that people did not die, although several were injured. There was a witness who said she was knocked down my Harry as he rushed out of the building but it could never be corroborated and therefore remained circumstantial. There was just one problem – there was no concrete, physical evidence that put Harry at the library when the fire started. There was only ever one suspect, Harry Peak, an odd-jobs man who was desperately trying to break into acting. In The Library Book by Susan Orlean she tries desperately to uncover what happened to the Los Angeles Library back on the 29 th April 1986, when a fire swept through the building destroying more than 400,000 books. Why would anyone want to set fire to a library? Surely, nothing can be gained by causing such damage? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |