Fire Trap: The Tragedy of the Hope Development School

In 1924, 23 people, mostly girls and young women from 5 to 26 years old, died in the Hope Development School fire near Los Angeles, a tragedy that has become an all-but-forgotten part of the city’s history. But the real tragedy was that state and county officials knew that the building was a dangerous fire trap, but were unable to find a safe location for the school.