Peak ultimately confessed to the crime of arson.Īnd then he unconfessed. In the days after the fire, tips poured in and one of them led investigators to Harry Peak, a charming gay “people pleaser” who was also unreliable. Alas, many of the materials were lost forever. Recognizing what its loss could represent, Los Angelinos sprang into action, filmmakers made donations, citizens held fundraisers and institutions around the world showed their support. It had become a beloved home for bookworms, a resource for the homeless and a place for learning. Throughout its existence, the library had seen its share of history within the city. It was the largest library fire at that time in the United States. Boosted by architecture, the fire fed on itself until, mere hours later, millions of books, manuscripts, priceless documents, maps, collector’s items and operating equipment were lost. Within minutes, it became obvious this was no false alarm.īecause of how the library had been constructed decades prior, what started as a small fire in a small area soon became a conflagration. So when the alarm screamed again on the morning of April 28, 1986, most people there vacated the library with an air of unconcerned been-there-done-this. It was always going off for no reason patrons knew it, as did staff. The fire alarm was known to be faulty at the Los Angeles Public Library.
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