Church of the Company Fire facts for kids

The Church of the Company Fire was a terrible fire that happened in Santiago, Chile. It is known as one of the deadliest fires in history. On December 8, 1863, between 2,000 and 3,000 people sadly lost their lives in this disaster.

What Happened?

The fire took place at the Church of the Company of Jesus. This was a church run by the Jesuits, a group of Catholic priests. The day of the fire was a special religious holiday called the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Many people were inside the church celebrating.

Around 7:00 PM, the fire began. It started when an oil lamp accidentally set something on fire. The flames quickly spread through the church.

The Aftermath

Cleaning up after the fire took about ten days. A local newspaper in Santiago printed the names of over 2,000 people who had died. The newspaper also listed valuable items that were saved from the fire. This made many people upset. They felt that saving objects was less important than saving lives.

This terrible event led to important changes in Chile. One big problem was that Santiago did not have an organized fire department. Just 12 days after the fire, a man named José Luis Claro y Cruz helped create the first Volunteer Firemen's Corps in Santiago. Even today, fire brigades in Chile are made up only of volunteers who do not get paid.

The fire also led to new rules about fire safety. It even played a part in the Chilean government becoming more separate from the church over the next 20 years.

Images for kids

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  The burning of the church

See also

In Spanish: Incendio de la Iglesia de la Compañía para niños