http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Theatre On June 29, 1613, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre burns to the ground during a production of Henry VIII when some cannon fire caused the thatched roof of the theatre to catch fire. Shakespeare was in Stratford at the time.
My favorite part of that story is the fact that one person’s pants caught fire, but somebody else put it out with his tankard of ale.
In fact, the entire theater evacuated with no other deaths or injuries according to most reports.
Not bad for a facility lacking in modern safety design…