Photograph of people looking at the wreckage from an explosion of temporary school buildings in Barberton, Ohio. On May 31, 1939, fifty-eight people were injured, among them first and second grade children and school employees. The explosion occurred when gas that had seeped into the basement of the building from a broken line was ignited. The temporary school buildings, erected to house students while a new school was constructed nearby, were not in accordance with state laws regarding fire escapes, fire proofing and the installation of gas detectors. Remarkably, no lives were lost in the explosion.
