A fire occurred, at approximately 8:15 a.m. on September 3, 1991. The rapid spread of heavy smoke throughout the structure ultimately resulted in 25 fatalities and 54 people being injured in varying degrees. Of the people who died, 18 were women and seven were men. A similar type fire occurred at a chicken processing plant in North Little Rock, Arkansas on June 7, 1991 but with no fatalities or injuries. Following the description of the Hamlet fire below, the North Little Rock fire is summarized along with the factors in the different outcomes of these two fires.