The Rhythm Club fire aka The Natchez Dance Hall Holocaust was a conflagration resulting in the death or serious injury of hundreds of people who became trapped inside a one-story steel-clad wooden building in Natchez, Mississippi

Natchez, Mississippi

Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on the night of April 23, 1940.

Over 700 people were in attendance that night. In the fire, 207 African-American party goers perished and many others were severely injured.