The last survivor of the Hindenburg explosion has died

The last remaining survivor of the 1937 Hindenburg explosion at Lakehurst has died. Werner Doehner passed away at his home in New Hampshire at age 90 this week.

According to USA Today, Doehner was eight years old at the time of the disaster. He and his brother leapt to safety and his mother followed, but his father and sister perished. The zeppelin caught fire and the hydrogen exploded for reasons that are still subject to debate.

Thirty six people died at the Naval Air Station that day and the devastation effectively ended the era of the dirigible. According to USA Today, Doehner’s mother threw the two boys out the observation window to the ground after the ship caught fire and then she jumped. The boys suffered burns while the mother sustained a broken hip Werner and his brother convalesced in a hospital in Point Pleasant. The father and sister never made it off the ship.

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