MILLARD HOTEL, OMAHA

Omaha's Millard Hotel was the scene of a deadly fire on the night of Feb. 8, 1933 that claimed the lives of seven firefighters.

"About 11 p.m., parts of the roof and upper floors collapsed, possibly due to an explosion in the hotel’s paint shop, and the outer north wall blew outward," the Omaha World Herald said in a 2018 recollection.

"Firemen on ladders and in the alley were crushed by a searing hot blast of bricks and debris," the newspaper said.

The United Press reported: "Captain George Cogan, brother of Fire Chief Patrick Cogan, was rescued after he had lain pinned under a girder for six hours."

The hotel was built in the 19th Century.