On December 30, 1903, the county saw great tragedy when the Iroquois Theatre caught fire, killing more than 600 people. Traeger arrived at the theater soon after the fire had started, and would work throughout the following night to remove deceased and injured victims from the building. As coroner, he was responsible for the inquest into the fire. The day after the fire, Traeger empaneled a jury. The formal inquest was launched January 7, 1904, being held in the chambers of the Chicago City Council. It lasted 29 days. Traeger played a role in the introduction of safety measures such as steel curtains for theaters and a role mandating that fire escape doors must be unlocked.
