The Saint John City Hall fire also known as the Saint John jail fire was a building fire which occurred in Saint John, New Brunswick's city lockup on June 21, 1977—which at that time was located on the ground floor of the Saint John City Hall. The fire, which had been started by prisoner John Kenney, killed 21 men who were trapped in confinement. The fire caused outrage as many of the people who were killed were jailed for offences that many[who?] deemed trivial. Further scorn was also directed at elements of the lockup's design such as padding in the cells which many claimed was highly flammable.[1][2]
