In regard to Pinetop Tom's version

On January 22, 1930, a truck fire at Camp H, part of the Louisiana State Penitentiary system (commonly known as Angola), killed twenty African-American prisoners who were shackled and unable to escape.

The men were being transported in a locked, windowless wooden van mounted on a truck chassis.

A fire broke out—likely from a gasoline torch or stove used for warmth during the bitter cold morning.

The vehicle's only exit was locked from the outside, and the guards were unable (or unwilling) to open it in time.

All twenty prisoners were burned alive, trapped behind the bolted doors.