The Hartford Circus Fire: Tragedy Under the Big Top

Michael Skidgell

Jan 2023 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by P.J. Ochlan

About this audiobook

Through firsthand accounts and interviews with survivors, author Michael Skidgell attempts to make sense of one of Hartford's worst tragedies. Almost 7,000 fans eagerly packed into the Ringling Brothers big top on July 6, 1944. With a single careless act, an afternoon at the "Greatest Show on Earth" quickly became one of terror and tragedy as the paraffin-coated circus tent caught fire. Panicked crowds rushed for the few exits, but in minutes, the tent collapsed on those still struggling to escape below. A total of 168 lives were lost, many of them children, with many more injured and forever scarred by the events. Hartford and the surrounding communities reeled in the aftermath as investigators searched for the source of the fire and the responsible parties.

About the author

Michael Skidgell, a lifelong Connecticut resident, is a project manager and an engineering manager at Steeltech Building Products. He has served in the construction company as a draftsman, engineer, estimator, coordinator, and project manager for thirty years.

P. J. Ochlan, an Audie Award-winning and multiple AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has also included Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival, critically acclaimed feature films, and regular roles in television series.