On Dec. 1, 1958, a fire tore through the Our Lady of Angels School on Chicago’s West Side. Ninety-two of the school’s 1,600 students perished in the conflagration along with three nuns, and many more suffered from burns and smoke inhalation or were injured when they jumped from windows to escape.

The worst school fire in American history, it devastated the largely Italian-American community and left lasting physical and emotional scars on survivors and family members of the victims. It also created bonds of friendship and support that endure to this day.