The Cleveland Clinic fire was a major structure fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on May 15, 1929. Flammable nitrocellulose x-ray film ignited in a basement storage room, emitting a poisonous yellowish-brown gas which spread throughout much of the Clinic and subsequently exploded several times. The fire claimed 123 lives including that of one of the Clinic's founders, Dr. John Phillips. Most of the deaths from the fire were due to toxic inhalation. Many were immediate; some were delayed by hours or even days. A heroic policeman, Ernest Staab, rescued twenty-one victims from the fire, and left the scene, apparently in good health. He later collapsed while working on his lawn, was hospitalized, and died several days later.