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Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958

Other Infamous and Deadly Fires From Around the World

Year Date Location Deaths Description
64Romen/a
406ConstantinopleFire destroyed much of Constantinople
1135LondonFire destroyed a large portion of London
11972/25Moscow45Rossiya hotel
1204ConstantinopleFire destroyed much of the city during the Fourth Crusade
1212London3000+Fire destroyed a large portion of London
1421AmsterdamGreat fire of 1421 destroyed large parts of Amsterdam
1452AmsterdamSecond fire in 1452 destroyed three quarters of Amsterdam
17883/21New Orleans856 out of 1100 structures destroyed
16669/2England“Great Fire Of London” Destroyed St. Paul's Cathedral, Etc. Damage: £10 Million - Nearly every housewife has made the same mistake, usually with no great consequence. But on September 2, 1666 the result was apocalyptic.

Thomas Farrinor, baker to King Charles II of England, neglected, in effect, to turn off his oven. He thought the fire was out, he later claimed, but apparently the smoldering embers ignited some nearby firewood and by one o'clock in the morning, three hours after Farrinor went to bed, his house in Pudding Lane was in flames. Farrinor, along with his wife and daughter, and one servant, luckily escaped from the burning building through an upstairs window, but the baker's maid paid dearly for his carelessness, becoming the Great Fire's first victim. The fire then leapt across Fish Street Hill and engulfed the Star Inn. The London of 1666 was a city of half-timbered, pitch-covered medieval buildings that ignited at the touch of a spark--and a strong wind on that September morning ensured that sparks flew everywhere. From the Inn, the fire spread into Thames Street, where riverfront warehouses were bursting with oil, tallow, and other combustible goods. By now the fire had grown too fierce to combat with the crude firefighting methods of the day, which consisted of little more than bucket brigades armed with wooden pails of water. The customary recourse during a fire of such magnitude was to demolish every building in the path of the flames in order to deprive the fire of fuel, but the city's mayor hesitated, fearing the high cost of rebuilding. Meanwhile, the fire spread out of control, doing far more damage than the most overzealous firefighters could possibly have managed.

Soon the flames were visible from Seething Lane, near the Tower of London, where Samuel Pepys first noted them without concern: Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast today, Jane called up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose, and slipped on my night-gown and went to her window, and thought it to be on the back side of Mark Lane at the farthest; but, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off, and so went to bed again, and to sleep. . . . By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down tonight by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning down all Fish Street, by London Bridge. So I made myself ready presently, and walked to the Tower; and there got up upon one of the high places, . . .and there I did see the houses at the end of the bridge all on fire, and an infinite great fire on this and the other side . . . of the bridge. . . .

So down [I went], with my heart full of trouble, to the Lieutenant of the Tower, who tells me that it began this morning in the King's baker's house in Pudding Lane, and that it hath burned St. Magnus's Church and most part of Fish Street already. So I rode down to the waterside, . . . and there saw a lamentable fire. . . . Everybody endeavouring to remove their goods, and flinging into the river or bringing them into lighters that lay off; poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats, or clambering from one pair of stairs by the waterside to another. And among other things, the poor pigeons, I perceive, were loth to leave their houses, but hovered about the windows and balconies, till they some of them burned their wings and fell down. Having stayed, and in an hour's time seen the fire rage every way, and nobody to my sight endeavouring to quench it, . . . I [went next] to Whitehall (with a gentleman with me, who desired to go off from the Tower to see the fire in my boat); and there up to the King's closet in the Chapel, where people came about me, and I did give them an account [that]dismayed them all, and the word was carried into the King. so I was called for, and did tell the King and Duke of York what I saw; and that unless His Majesty did command houses to be pulled down, nothing could stop the fire. They seemed much troubled, and the King commanded me to go to my Lord Mayor from him, and command him to spare no houses. . . .

[I hurried] to [St.] Paul's; and there walked along Watling Street, as well as I could, every creature coming away laden with goods to save and, here and there, sick people carried away in beds. Extraordinary goods carried in carts and on backs. At last [I] met my Lord Mayor in Cannon Street, like a man spent, with a [handkerchief] about his neck. To the King's message he cried, like a fainting woman, 'Lord, what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me. I have been pulling down houses, but the fire overtakes us faster than we can do it.' . . . So he left me, and I him, and walked home; seeing people all distracted, and no manner of means used to quench the fire. The houses, too, so very thick thereabouts, and full of matter for burning, as pitch and tar, in Thames Street; and warehouses of oil and wines and brandy and other things. John Evelyn took even less note of the fire during its first hours than had Pepys. His journal entry for the 2nd, the day on which Pudding Lane first erupted, contains only the briefest of mentions. By the following day, however, Evelyn was drawn into the unfolding spectacle: I had public prayers at home. The fire continuing, after dinner I took coach with my wife and son and went to the Bank side in Southwark, where we beheld that dismal spectacle, the whole city in flames near the water side; all the houses from the Bridge, all Thames street, and upwards towards Cheapside, down to the Three Cranes, were now consumed: and so [we] returned exceeding astonished what would become of the rest.

The fire having continued all this night (if I may call that night which was light as day for 10 miles round about, after a dreadful manner) when conspiring with a fierce eastern wind in a very dry season; I went on foot to the same place, and saw the whole south part of the city burning from Cheapside to the Thames, and all along Cornhill, (for it likewise kindled back against the wind as well as forward), Tower street, Fen-church street, Gracious street, and so along to Bainard's Castle, and was now taking hold of St. Paul's church, to which the scaffolds contributed exceedingly. The conflagration was so universal, and the people so astonished, that from the beginning, I know not by what despondency or fate, but crying out and lamentation, running about like distracted creatures without at all attempting to save even their goods; such a strange consternation there was among them, so as it burned both in breadth and length, the churches, public halls, Exchange, hospitals, monuments, and ornaments, leaping after a prodigious manner, from house to house and street to street, at great distances from one the other; for the heat with a long set of fair and warm weather had even ignited the air and prepared the materials to conceive the fire, which devoured after an incredible manner houses, furniture, and everything. Here we saw the Thames covered with goods floating, all the barges and boats laden with what some had time and courage to save, as, on the other, the carts, &c. carrying out to the fields, which for many miles were strewed with moveables of all sorts, and tents erecting to shelter both people and what goods they could get away. Oh the miserable and calamitous spectacle! such as haply the world had not seen since the foundation of it, nor be outdone till the universal conflagration thereof. All the sky was of a fiery aspect, like the top of a burning oven, and the light seen above 40 miles round about for many nights. God grant mine eyes may never behold the like, who now saw above 10,000 houses all in one flame; the noise and cracking and thunder of people, the fall of towers, houses, and churches, was like an hideous storm, and the air all about so hot and inflamed that at last one was not able to approach it, so that they were forced to stand still and let the flames burn on, which they did for near two miles in length and one in breadth. The clouds also of smoke were dismal and reached upon computation near 50 miles in length. Thus I left it this afternoon burning, a resemblance of Sodom, or the last day. It forcibly called to my mind that passage--non enim hic habemus stabilem civitatum: the ruins resembling the picture of Troy. London was, but is no more! Thus, I returned.

Sept. 4th

The burning still rages, and it was now gotten as far as the Inner Temple; all Fleet street, the Old Bailey, Ludgate hill, Warwick lane, Newgate, Paul's chain, Watling street, now flaming, and most of it reduced to ashes; the stones of St. Paul's flew like [grenades], the melting lead running down the streets in a stream, and the very pavements glowing with fiery redness, so as no horse nor man was able to tread on them, and the demolition had stopped all the passages, so that no help could be applied. The eastern wind still more impetuously driving the flames forward. Nothing but the Almighty power of God was able to stop them, for vain was the help of man.

Sept. 5th

It crossed towards White-hall; but oh, the confusion there was then at that Court! It pleased his Majesty to command me among the rest to look after the quenching of Fetter lane end, to preserve if possible that part of Holborn, whilst the rest of the gentlemen took their several posts, some at one part, some at another (for they now began to bestir themselves, and not till now, who hitherto had stood as men intoxicated, with their hands across) and began to consider that nothing was likely to put a stop but the blowing up of so many houses as might make a wider gap than any had yet been made by the ordinary method of pulling them down with engines; this some stout seamen proposed early enough to have saved near the whole city, but this some tenacious and avaricious men, aldermen, &c. would not permit, because their houses must have been [among the first to be levelled]. It was therefore now commanded to be practised, and my concern being particularly for the Hospital of St. Bartholomew near Smithfield, where I had many wounded and sick men, made me the more diligent to promote it; nor was my care for the Savoy less. It now pleased God by abating the wind, and by the industry of the people, when almost all was lost, infusing a new spirit into them, that the fury of [the fire] began sensibly to abate about noon, so as it came no farther than the Temple westward, nor than the entrance of Smithfield north: but continued all this day and night so impetuous toward Cripplegate and the Tower as made us all despair; it also broke out again in the Temple, but the courage of the multitude persisting, and many houses being blown up, such gaps and desolations were soon made, as with the former three days consumption, [that] the back fire did not so vehemently urge upon the rest as formerly. There was yet no standing near the burning and glowing ruins by near a furlong's space. The coal and wood wharfs and magazines of oil, rosin, &c. did infinite mischief, so as the invective which a little before I had dedicated to his Majesty and published, giving warning of what might probably be the issue of suffering those shops to be in the City, was looked on as a prophecy. The poor inhabitants were dispersed about St. George's Fields, and Moorfields, as far as Highgate, and several miles in circle, some under tents, some under miserable huts and hovels, many without a rag or any necessary utensils, bed or board, who from delicateness, riches, and easy accommodations in stately and well furnished houses, were now reduced to extremest misery and poverty.

In this calamitous condition I returned with a sad heart to my house, blessing and adoring the distinguishing mercy of God to me and mine, who in the midst of all this ruin was like Lot, in my little Zoar, safe and sound.
183512/16New York City0530 Buildings Destroyed By Fire - The Great Fire of 1835 broke out on the night of December 16 and, raging for more than fifteen hours, destroyed virtually the entire downtown business district, including the Merchants' Exchange, the Post Office, and more than half the city's insurance companies. This and earlier catastrophic fires caused so much destruction in New York that by mid-century none of the city's earliest Dutch buildings remained standing. Surpassing the earlier disasters, the Great Fire of 1835 not only lasted longer but also caused unprecedented physical damage and resulted in sweeping reform of the city's fire-fighting methods, building codes, and fire insurance practices.

The fire started about nine o'clock on a wintry evening in a store filled with dry goods and hardware. The bitter December cold froze the water in the fire hoses and in all nearby cisterns and wells. The resulting water shortage, combined with a fierce northerly wind that whipped the flames from building to building and block to block, hampered the heroic efforts to combat the disaster. By the time it was finally brought under control, the fire had demolished 674 buildings in the city's commercial heart, an area that extended from the East River nearly to Broad Street and from Coenties Slip to Wall Street.

In a night of enormous losses, the destruction of the Merchants' Exchange, symbol of the energetic growth of New York's business community, seemed particularly crushing. 'The splendid edifice,' wrote diarist and New York mayor Philip Hone, ' & one of the ornaments of the city & is now a heap of ruins &. When the dome of this edifice fell in, the sight was awfully grand. In its fall it demolished the statue of Hamilton executed by Ball Hughes, which was erected in the rotunda only eight months ago by the public spirit of the merchants.'

New York's insurance industry staggered under these losses. A short time later, banks suspended payment, resulting in many bankruptcies. The general inability of the volunteer fire-fighting units to contain the blaze led the Board of Assistant Aldermen to adopt a statement declaring 'the absolute necessity of establishing a more perfect and proper organization of the Fire Department, and & the necessity and propriety of being better prepared to resist the ravages of fire.' Along with the reorganization of the fire department to minimize time-wasting competition among the volunteer companies, the Assistant Aldermen rewrote the building codes to allow fire wagons easier access through the streets and to impose more fire-resistant construction methods. The preeminent need for an improved water supply served to expedite development of the Croton Water System. This major engineering feat solved more than one problem in an era when fire, dirt, and disease were endemic to urban living.
1836St. Petersburg, Russia800Circus performing at the Lehman Theater
18455/3Canton, China1670Theater
186312/8Santiago, Chile~2500Church of the Company of Jesus
18654/27Mississippi River1,547S.S. Sultana steamship boiler explosion and fire killed 1,547.
187110/8Chicago250The “Chicago Fire” Burned 17,450 Buildings And Killed 250 Persons; $196 Million In Damage
187110/8Peshtigo Wis1182Forest Fire
187211/9Boston0Fire Destroyed 800 Buildings; $75 Million In Damage
18755/27Holyoke, MA78Church
187612/5New York City300+Fire In Brooklyn Theater Killed More Than 300
18776/20St John NB, Canada100N/A
188112/8Vienna850At Least 620 Died In Fire At Ring Theatre
18875/25Paris200Opera Cornique
18879/4Exeter England200Theater
18949/1Minnesota413Forest Fire
18975/4Paris150Charity Bazaar
18993/17New York45Windsor Hotel
19005/1Scofield, UT200Explosion Of Blasting Powder In Coal Mine Killed 200
19006/30Hoboken, NJ326Piers Of North German Lloyd Steamship Line Burned; 326 Dead
19015/3Jacksonville, FL7Metropolitan fire left 2,368 buildings destroyed, and 10,000 residents homeless.
19029/20Birmingham, AL115Church
190312/30Chicago602Iroquois Theatre Fire Killed 602
19046/15Chicago1,021The steamship General Slocum caught fire in New York Harbor, killing 1,021, primarily women and children.
19063/10France1060Explosion In Coal Mine In Courrières Killed 1,060
190712/19Jacobs Creek, PA239Explosion In Coal Mine Left 239 Dead
190712/6Monongha, WV361Coal Mine Explosion Killed 361
19081/13Boyertown, Pa170Rhoads Theater
19083/4Collinwood OH176School
190911/13Cherry, IL259Explosion In Coal Mine Killed 259
19108/20Northern Idaho and Western Montana87Largest forest fire in U.S. history burned three million acres of forest and completely destroyed seven small towns.
19113/25New York City145Fire In Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fatal To 145
19137/22Binghamton, New York35Factory
191310/14Mid Glamorgan Wales439Colliery
191310/22Dawson, NM263Coal Mine Explosion Left 263 Dead
19143/9St. Louis, MO37Athletic Club
191712/6Nova Scotia1600Halifax Harbor Belgian Steamer Collided With Ammunition Ship Mont Blanc, Which Was Carrying Over 2,500 Tons Of Explosives. Explosion Leveled Part Of Halifax And Left About 1,600 People Dead.
19174/10Eddystone, PA133Explosion In Munitions Plant Killed 133
191810/12Cloquet MN559Forest Fire
19184/13Norman OK38State Hospital
19196/20Mayaguez Theater150San Juan
19235/17Camden SC76School
192412/24Hobart OK35School
19271/9Montreal, Quebec78Laurier Palace Theater fire was caused by a discarded cigarette and resulted in the deaths of 78 children, all of whom had been seated in the balcony. Children attempting to escape piled up against the exit doors, which opened inward. Additionally, one of the two balcony exits was locked.
19295/15Cleveland, OH125Crile Clinic
19304/21Columbus, OH322State Penitentiary
19317/24Pittsburgh, PA48Home For Aged
193310/3Gtiffith Park, Los Angeles, CA29A small brush fire quickly burned out of control, ultimately killing 29 workers that had been hired to clear dry brush in the area, and burning 47 acres of the park.
193412/11Lansing, MI34Hotel Kerns
19364/6Gainesville, GA57Hardware Company
19373/18New London, TX294Explosion Destroyed Schoolhouse (Fire not a major factor)
19385/16Atlanta GA35Terminal Hotel
19404/23Natchez MS198Dance Hall
194211/28Boston, MS491Coconut Grove Nightclub Fire Killed 491
194212/12St, John's, Newfoundland, Canada100Hostel
19424/26Manchuria1549Explosion In Honkeiko Colliery Killed 1,549
1942St John's Newfoundland100Hostel
19439/7Gulf Hotel Houston55Hotel
194410/20Cleveland130Liquid-Gas Tanks Exploded, Killing 130
19447/17Port Chicago, CA322322 Killed When Ammunition Ships Exploded
19447/6Hartford, CT167Fire And Ensuing Stampede In Main Tent Of Ringling Brothers Circus Killed 167, Injured 487
19466/5LaSalle Hotel Chicago61Hotel
194612/7Atlanta119Winecoff Hotel
194612/12New York37Ice Plant, Tenement
19474/16–18Texas City, TX516Most of the city was destroyed by a fire and subsequent explosion on the French freighter Grandcamp, which was carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate. At least 516 were killed and over 3,000 injured.
19494/5Effingham, IL77Hospital
19499/2China1700Fire On Chongqing (Chungking) Waterfront Killed 1,700
19498/10Bloomington, IN16Bus Fire
19501/7Davenport LA41Mercy Hospital
19533/29Largo FL35Nursing Home
19534/16Chicago35Metalworking Plant
19545/26Off Quonset Point, RI103Explosion And Fire Aboard Aircraft Carrier Bennington Killed 103 Crewmen
19568/7Colombia1100About 1,100 Reported Killed When Seven Army Ammunition Trucks Exploded At Cali
19568/8Belgium262262 Died In Coal Mine Fire At Marcinelle
19571/24New Haven, CT1515 garment workers killed in a fire at the Baer Dress Factory
19572/17Warrenton, MO72Home For Aged
195811/8Montreal, Canada21Tenament
195812/1Chicago95Fire At Our Lady Of Angels, A Roman Catholic Grade School, killed 92 students and 3 nuns
195812/16Bogota Colombia83Store
19583/19New York City24Loft Building
19591/30Glen Ellyn, IL9Nursing Home
19593/5Near Little Rock AR21Boys' Industrial School
19596/23Stalheim Norway34Resort Hotel
19601/21Coalbrook437South Africa: Coal Mine Explosion Killed 437
19603/12Pusan, Korea68Chemical Plant
19606/11Liverpool, England22Store
19607/14Guatemala City225Mental Hospital
196011/13Amude, Syria152152 Children Killed In Moviehouse Fire
19611/6San Francisco20Thomas Hotel
19615/15Hong Kong25Tenament
196112/8Hartford CT16Hospital
196112/17Niterol, Brazil323Circus Fire
19622/7Saarland, West Germany298Coal Mine Gas Explosion Killed 298
19635/4Diourbel Senegal64Theater
196311/9Japan447Explosion In Coal Mine At Omuta Killed 447
196311/18Atlantic City, NJ25Surfside Hotel
196311/23Fitchville OH63Rest Home
196312/29Jacksonville, FL22Roosevelt Hotel
19645/8Manila30Apartment Bldg
196412/18Fountaintown20Ind Nursing Home
19653/1LaSalle Canada28Apartment
19655/28India375Coal Mine Fire In State Of Bihar Killed 375
19656/1near Fukuoka, Japan236Coal Mine Explosion Killed 236
19658/11-16Los Angeles30+Watts riot fires
196512/20Yonkers, NY12Jewish Center
19663/11Numata, Japan312 Ski Resorts
19668/13Melbourne, Australia29Hotel
19669/12Anchorage, AK14Hotel
196610/17New York City12Building (Firemen)
196612/7Erzurum Turkey68Barracks
19672/7Montgomery, AL25Restaurant
19672/7Tasmania, Australia62With over 100 separate fire fronts, wildfires burned 652,000 acres, destroying close to 3,000 buildings.
19675/22Brussels, Belgium322L'Innovation Department Store
19677/16Jay, FL37State Prison
19677/29Off North Vietnam134Fire On U.S. Carrier Forrestal Killed 134
19681/19Brooklyn, NY13Tenament
19682/11Franklin, PA11Residence Fire
19682/26Shrewsbury, England22Hospital
19683/19New York City24Loft Building
19685/11Vijayawada, India58Wedding Hall
196811/18Glasgow Scotland24Factory
19691/14Pearl Harbor, HI27Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Enterprise Ripped By Explosions; 27 Dead, 82 Injured
19691/26Dunnville Ontario13Victoria Hotel
196912/2Notre Dame, Canada54Nursing Home
19701/9Marietta, OH27Nursing Home
19703/20Seattle, WA19Hotel
197011/1Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France146Fire In Dance Hall Killed 146 Young People
197012/20Tucson, AZ28Hotel
19713/6Burghoezil, Switzerland1128Psychiatric Clinic,
19714/20Bangkok, Thailand24Hotel
197110/19Honesdale, PA15Nursing Home
197112/25Seoul, South Korea162Hotel
19725/13Osaka, Japan118118 People Died In Fire In Nightclub On Top Floor Of Sennichi Department Store
19726/6Wankie, Rhodesia427Explosion In Coal Mine Killed 427
19727/5Sherbome, England30Hospital
19732/6Paris France21School
19735/13Osaka, Japan116Nightclud
19736/24New Orleans, LA32bar
197311/29Kumamoto, Japan101Fire In Taiyo Department Store Killed 101
197311/6Fukm Japan28Train
197312/2Seoul Korea50Theater
19742/1São Paulo, Brazil189Fire In upper stories of bank building killed 189 persons, many of whom leaped to their deaths
19746/30Port Chester NY24Discotheque
197411/3Seoul, South Korea88Hotel Discotheque
197512/12Mina, Saudi Arabia138Tent City
197512/27Dhanbad, India327Explosion In Coal Mine Followed By Flooding From Nearby Reservoir Left 372 Dead
197610/24Bronx, NY25Social Club
19772/25Moscow45Rossiya Hotel
19775/9Amsterdam33Hotel Polen
19775/28Southgate, KY167Fire In Beverly Hills Supper Club; 167 Dead
19776/9Abidjan, Ivory Coast41Nightclub
19776/26Columbia, TN42Jail
197711/14Manila Pl47Hotel
19781/28Kansas City16Coates House Hotel
19787/11Tarragona, Spain140140 Killed At Coastal Campsite When Tank Truck Carrying Liquid Gas Overturned And Exploded
19788/20Abadan, Iran400Nearly 400 Killed When Arsonists Set Fire To Crowded Theater
197811/17London, England30Subway
19797/14Saragossa, Spain80Hotel
197912/31Chapels Quebec42Social Club
19805/20Kingston, Jamaica157Nursing Home
198011/21Las Vegas84Mgm Grand Hotel
198012/4Harrison, NY26Stouffer Inn Hotel
19811/9Keansburg, NJ30Boarding Home
19812/10Las Vegas Hilton8Hotel
19812/14Dublin, Ireland44Discotheque
19829/4Los Angeles24Apartment House
198211/8Biloxi, Miss29County Jail
198212/18–21Caracas, Venezuela128Power-Plant Fire Left 128 Dead
19832/13Turin Italy64Movie Theater
198312/17Madrid, Spain83Discotheque
19845/11New Jersey8Great Adventure Amusement Park
19854/21Tabaco, Philippines44Movie Theater
19854/26Buenos Aires Argentina79Hospital
19855/11Bradford, England53Soccer Stadium
198612/31San Juan, PR96Arson Fire In Dupont Plaza Hotel Was Set By Three Employees, Killing 96 People
19875/6-6/2Northern China193Forest Fire
198711/17London, England30Subway
19883/20Lashio, Burma1342000 building
19896/3Ural Mountains500Liquefied Petroleum Gas Leaking From A Pipeline Running Alongside The Trans-Siberian Railway Near Uta, 72 Miles East Of Moscow, Exploded And Destroyed Two Passing Passenger Trains. About 500 Travelers Were Killed And 723 Injured Of An Estimated 1,200 Passengers
198910/23Pasadena, Tex22A Huge Explosion Followed By A Series Of Others And A Raging Fire At A Plastics Manufacturing Plant Owned By Phillips Petroleum Co. Killed 22 And Injured More Than 80 Persons. A Large Leak Of Ethylene Was Presumed To Be The Cause.
19903/25New York City87Arson Fire In The Illegal Happy Land Social Club, In The Bronx, Killed 87 People
19913/3Addis Ababa, Ethiopia260+munitions dump
19919/3Hamlet, NC25Chicken-Processing Plant
199110/20-21Oakland/Berkeley, Ca24Wildfire
19934/19Waco, TX72cult compound
19935/10Near Bangkok, Thailand187Fire In Doll Factory Killed At Least 187 Persons And Injured 500 Others. World'S Deadliest Factory Fire.
19941/3Sabaneta, Venezuela108Prison
19945/10Bangkok, Thailand213toy factory
19947/4-10Glenwood Springs, CO14 14 Firefighters killed when fire suddenly changed direction and surrounded them.
1994Karamay, China?Theater
199411/2Durunka, Eygpt500burning fuel flood
199412/10Karamay, China300theater
199510/28Baku, Azerbaijan300subway train
199512/23Mandi Dabwali, India500+school
19963/19Quezon City, Philippines150+nightclub
19963/28Bogor, Indonesia78shopping mall
19964/11Dusseldorf, Germany16airport
199610/22Caracas, Venezuela25Jail
199611/20Hong Kong39Building
19972/23Baripada, India164Worship site
19974/15Mina, Saudi Arabia343Encampment
19976/13New Dehli, India60Movie theater
19976/7Thanjavur, India60+Temple
19977/11Pattaya, Thailand90Hotel
19979/29near Colina, Chile30Children's home
19983/26Mazeras, India22School dorm
199812/3Manila, Philippines28Orphanage
19992/10Samara, Russia23Police headquarters
19993/24Chamonix, France42Belgian Truck Carrying Margarine And Flour Broke Out Into Flames In The Mont Blanc Tunnel, Trapping Dozens Of Cars. Death Toll Was At Least 42.
19993/24France and Italy40Mont Blanc tunnel
19996/30Hwasung, South Korea23Camp dormitory
199910/30S. Korea55+karaoke salon
20003/10Tuvalu18School
20003/17Kanungu, Uganda530Church
20006/23Queensland, Australia15Hostel
200010/12Aden, Yemen17U.S. Navy Destroyer Uss Cole Was Heavily Damaged When A Small Boat Loaded With Explosives Blew Up Alongside It. Seventeen Sailors Were Killed In What Was Apparently A Deliberate Terrorist Attack.
200011/11nr. Kaprun, Austria156Cable Car Transporting Skiers To The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier Broke Into Flames While Moving Through A Mountain Tunnel. The Final Death Toll Reached 156, Including 90 Austrians, In What Was Termed Austria'S Worst Alpine Disaster.
20013/26Machakos, Kenya68School
20018/13Erwadi, India25Mental Home
20018/17Quezon City, Philippines75Hotel
20019/1Tokyo, Japan44Multiple Buildings
20019/11New York City and Washington DC2,996Islamic terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center towers in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington DC. The resulting intense fires in the World Trade Center towers weakened the structural framework of the buildings, ultimately leading to their complete collapse. Together with the Pentagon, the attacks and fires resulted in 2,996 deaths, including those in the airplanes.
200112/29Lima, Peru291Shopping Center
20026/26Agra, India42Factory
20027/9Palembang, Indonesia42Karaoke Bar
200211/2El Jadida, Morocco50Prison
200212/1Caracas, Venezuela47Nightclub
20031/23Tamil Nadu, India57Wedding Hall
20032/20West Warwick, Rhode Island100Nightclub - The Station Nightclub fire started when a member of the band that was performing set off pyrotechnics, igniting sound insulating material surrounding the stage. The fire grew very rapidly, causing most patrons to panic and attempt to escape through the building's front exit. The narrow hallway leading to the exit quickly became blocked with the crush of people attempting to flee, causing many patrons and staff to be overcome by smoke and toxic gases before they could escape. Most patrons were unaware of the building's three other exits. When it was all over, 100 people were dead and well over 200 injured.
20045/17San Pedro Sula, Honduras104Prison
20047/16Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India94A small kitchen fire defied initial attempts to extinguish it, and soon spread to the thached roof of the school. The fire soon spread across the entire roof and, with only a single narrow exit in the building, many children were trapped as burning thatch fell into the school. Because a similar fire some years earlier in the same kitchen was quickly extinguished, school staff did not immediately begin evacuation of the school. As a result, 94 of the approximately 700 children in the school perished.
20048/1Asuncion, Paraguay464Supermarket
20049/3Beslan, Russia334Chechen and Ingush terrorists stormed Beslan School Number One on September 1, 2004, taking around 1,200 students, staff and parents hostage. On the third day of the seige, Russian security forces stormed the school when the terrorists detonated explosives in the gymnasium, where they held most of the hostages. The explosion and resulting fire, as well as the shootout between security forces and terrorists, killed at least 334 hostages, including 186 children, and injured more than 725. At least 10 Russian security forces were killed, along with nearly all of the terrorists, bringing the overall death toll for the tragedy to at least 380.
200412/30Buenos Aires, Argentina194Nightclub
20053/7Higuey, Dominican Republic136Prison
200512/15Jilin, China39Hospital
20062/24Chittagong, Bangladesh65Textile Factory
200612/9Moscow, Russia46Drug Rehab Hospital
20073/19Kamyshevatskaya, Russia63Nursing Home
20081/7Icheon, South Korea40Warehouse
20084/25Casablanca, Morocco55Mattress Factory
20091/1Bangkok, Thailand66Nightclub
20091/31Molo, Kenya113Oil spill
20092/7Victoria, Australia173Multiple bushfires during an extreme heatwave, fanned by winds up to 60 mph, destroyed over 5,000 structures, killing 173, injuring over 400 and leaving thousands homeless. One of the towns worst hit was Marysville, where 90% of the town was destroyed.
20096/5Hermosillo, Mexico48Daycare Center
20099/13Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan38Drug abuse clinic
200912/4Medan, Indonesia20Karaoke Bar
200912/5Perm, Russia152Nightclub
20103/23Calcutta, India42Stephen Court building
20106/3Dhaka, Bangladesh117A fire that started when an electrical transformer exploded destroyed many homes
201011/15Shanghai58High-rise apartment building
201012/8Santiago, Chile81Prison
201112/9Calcutta, India90Hospital
20122/14Comayagua, Honduras360Prison
20128/25Punto Fijo (Paraguana Peninsula), Falcon, Venezuela48Oil Refinery
20129/11Karachi, Pakistan312Garment Factory
20129/11Lahore, Pakistan25Shoe Factory
201211/24Dhaka, Bangladesh124Garment Factory
20131/27Santa Maria, Brazil233Kiss Nightclub
20134/26Moscow, Russia38Moscow Psychiatric Hospital
20136/3Mishazi, China120Jilin Baoyuanfeng poultry plant
20137/6Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada47The deadliest freight train accident in Canadian history. A runaway train rolled downgrade into the town of Lac-Mégantic and derailed, causing a fire and explosion that destroyed 30 buildings and killed 47 people. All but three remaining downtown buildings had to be demolished.
20144/13Valparaiso, Chile15Brush Fire - Worst fire in the history of Valparaiso.
20145/24Near Jangseong, South Korea22Hospital
201412/29Lahore, Pakistan13Shopping Mall
20155/13Valenzuela, Philippines74Manufacturing Plant
201510/30Bucharest, Romania64Fire struck the Colectiv Nightclub during a free concert, when the band's pyrotechnics ignited flammable polyurethane acoustic foam and spread quickly, killing 64.
20161/30Moscow, Russia12Factory
20168/3Addis Ababa, Ethiopia23Prison
201611/1Hanoi, Vietnam13Karaoke Bar
201612/2Oakland, California36A former warehouse that had been illegally converted into an “art collective workshop” (known as Ghost Ship) where local musicians and other performers could hang out and perform, caught fire and burned, killing 36.
20176/14London, England72A public housing highrise (Grenfell Tower), occupied largely by immigrants, caught fire as the result of a malfunctioning refrigerator, and burned for hours. The supposedly fireproof cladding used externally on the building turned out to be flammable, allowing the fire to advance rapidly up the exterior, igniting the interior as it went.
20179/14Kuala Lumpur25Several students started a fire at the Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah School in Kuala Lumpur that killed 25 students and teachers. Most of the victims were trapped in a dormitory with metal bars on its windows.
201712/21Jecheon, South Korea29Duson Sporium Sport Center
201712/28New York, NY13Fire in a Bronx apartment unit spread quickly to other parts of the build due to stairwell fire doors left open, allowing smoke and fire to quickly spread upward.
20181/26Miryang, South Korea37Sejong Hospital
20183/2Baku, Azerbaijan24Drug Rehab Center
20183/23Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam13Condominium
20183/25Kemerovo, Russia64Of the 64 victims of a fire in the Winter Cherry Shopping and Entertainment Center, 41 were children. The death toll was particularly high because a security guard had switched the fire alarm system off, and some emergency exit doors had been blocked shut.
20183/28Valencia, Venezuela68Police Headquarters and Jail
201811/8Butte County, California85The Camp Wildfire, the worst forest fire in California history, destroyed more than 18,000 buildings (including most of the town of Paradise and portion of several others), burned 153,336 acres and killed 85 people.
20192/12Delhi, India17Hotel
20194/15Paris, France0Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral fire. Although there were no fatalities, the fire did great damage to the famous historic church.
20197/18Kyoto, Japan36A man dumped 11 gallons of gasoline around inside the front door of the Kyoto Animation Studio and ignited it, killing 36 people. Unlike in most fires, the majority of victims died from direct burns rather than smoke inhilation due to the extremely rapid spread of the fire.
20199/18Monrovia, Liberia27Boarding School