Up from the Grave

In 2019, during our reporting, suddenly there are new developments. After decades of not recognizing the boys or fire---the state of Arkansas has a change of heart. What took them so long, and was it enough?

One survivor takes us back to a racially divided Arkansas, while the investigation into fire shows a different side. Was there a cover-up?

The school, the fire, the boys' burial happened, then quickly disappeared. New investigative reporting uncovers the secrets of an unknown school and a mass burial.

Known in history as inmates of the Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School, but who are these boys? Take a journey into the lives of Amos Gyce, William Lloyd Piggee and Willie C. Horner.

Go inside one of Arkansas' deadliest fires, where 69 boys are battling to get out. What really happened the night of the fire?

Up from the Grave tells the story of one of the deadliest fires in Arkansas's history. That fire extinguished the lives of 21 boys-48 barely escaped-after being padlocked inside their dorm room at a reform school. The series premieres June 24, 2019.

A controversial fire that extinguished the lives of 21-black boys, in segregation-era Arkansas. Who were these boys? How did this happen? The idea of brushing history under the rug is largely been Arkansas's past, says Dr. Brian Mitchell, History professor of UALR. Now 60 years later, how did one of the deadliest fires fly under the radar? From the funerals to the investigation to families seeking closure, CNN reveals the twists and turns of a story that's not yet over.