List of historic fires

This is a list of historic fires. Before the 20th century, fires were a major hazard to urban areas and the cause of massive amounts of damage to cities. While a few of the most important wildfires or forest fires are included, this list is not the primary resource to refer to for the most severe wildfires, which is summarized in the List of forest fires.

Building or structure fires

 * 586 BC - Temple in Jerusalem the first at Jerusalem burned by Nebuchadnezzar king of the Babylonians
 * 356 BC - Temple of Artemis at Ephesus burned by arson
 * c. 50 BC - Library of Alexandria burned during siege (possibly accidental)
 * 70 - Temple in Jerusalem the second at Jerusalem burned by Roman Empire troops under general Titus
 * 272 - Library of Alexandria possibly burned during occupation of Alexandria
 * 391 - Library of Alexandria possibly burned by order of Roman Emperor Theodosius I
 * 640 - Library of Alexandria possibly burned by order of Caliph Umar I
 * Note: evidence is scant for all four fires, but the library was eventually destroyed


 * 1190 - Fire at Clifford's Tower, York, England kills at least 150 Jews
 * 1608 - First settlement in Jamestown burns
 * 1613 - Globe Theatre, London burned due to mishap
 * 1652 - Town hall of Amsterdam burnt down. Treasures and important historical charters were destroyed.
 * 1666 - The Great Fire of London, which originated in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane. It destroyed much of London, and also killed the bubonic plague known as the 'Black Death,' which had been rife in London from circa 1603.
 * 1697 - The medieval "Tre Kronor" Royal Castle in Stockholm burned down and was eventually replaced by the present palace.
 * 1727 - Fire during puppet show in barn at Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England, killed 78 (including 51 children)
 * 1794 - Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen
 * 1811 - Richmond Theatre Fire, Richmond, VA. 72 dead.
 * 1814 - The White House and U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. burned by the British
 * Note: The White House was already named before the fire, not because scorch marks were painted over


 * 1823 - Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
 * 1834 - Palace of Westminster, home to Parliament of the United Kingdom
 * 1844 - St. Michael's & St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Churches Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (reportedly due to arson)
 * 1845 - Theatre fire in Canton, China killed 1670
 * 1846 - Nantucket July 13
 * 1849 - Great St. Louis Fire (1849)
 * 1863 - Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús fire in Santiago, Chile; killed over 2000
 * 1866 - The Great Fire in Portland, Maine on July 4
 * 1871 - Port Huron Fire of 1871 killed over 200 people in Port Huron, Michigan on October 8.
 * 1876 - Brooklyn Theater Fire, killed 295 in Brooklyn, NY.
 * 1878 - The Eldkvarn flour mill in Stockholm.
 * 1878 - The Washburn "A" Mill flour mill explosion and fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota
 * 1881 - Ring Theater Fire, killed 850 in Vienna
 * 1881 - The Great Michigan Fire, killed over 200 in Michigan
 * 1884 - Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen
 * 1887 - Paris Opéra Fire on May 25 killed 200
 * 1887 - Theatre Royal, Exeter Fire, England on September 5 killed 186
 * 1895 - The Rotunda, University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Virginia
 * 1897 - Paris Bazaar Fire on May 4 killed 150
 * 1897 - Great Windsor Fire, Windsor, Nova Scotia Canada, destroyed 80% of the town
 * 1899 - Windsor Hotel East 47th Street/5th Avenue Manhattan, New York - at least 33 and 45 people killed (estimates vary)
 * 1900 - Hoboken Docks Fire on June 30 killed 326
 * 1902 - Birmingham Church Fire on September 20 killed 115
 * 1903 - Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum fire, London, killed 51 on January 27
 * 1903 - Iroquois Theater Fire, Chicago, at least 600 died
 * 1904 - Great Toronto Fire, Toronto
 * 1905 - Lodging House fire in Glasgow killed 39
 * 1908 - Rhoads Theater Fire, Boyertown, PA killed 170
 * 1908 - Collinwood School Fire, Cleveland, Ohio killed 175 on March 4
 * 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico on February 15, killing 250.
 * 1910 - Friedlander Leather Remnants factory fire, Philadelphia, PA. 11 firemen lost their lives in two separate collapses.
 * 1911 - Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, New York City
 * 1916 - Centre Block of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario
 * 1918 - Norman State Hospital Fire, Norman, OK
 * 1919 - Mayaguez Theater Fire, San Juan, Puerto Rico
 * 1921 - Oppau explosion near Ludwigshafen, Germany killing 500–600 on September 21
 * 1923 - Cleveland School Fire, Camden, South Carolina, killed 77 on May 16
 * 1924 - Babbs Switch Schoolhouse Fire, Oklahoma, killed 36 on December 24
 * 1925 - Madame Tussauds wax museum in London
 * 1927 - Laurier Palace Theatre Fire, Montreal, killed 77 children on January 9
 * 1928 - Teatro de Novedades theater fire killed 68 or maybe 110, Madrid, Spain on 22 September
 * 1929 - Glen Cinema disaster, Paisley, Scotland killed 71 on December 31
 * 1929 - Cleveland Clinic fire, Cleveland killed 123
 * 1930 - Jinhae Primary School fire, Jinhae, Gyeongsangnamdo, South Korea, killed 104 on March 10
 * 1930 - Ohio Penitentiary fire, Columbus killed 322
 * 1931 - Glaspalast (Munich) fire on July 6
 * 1931 - Pittsburgh Nursing Home Fire
 * 1933 - Reichstag fire in Berlin, caused by arson
 * 1934 - Hotel Kerns Fire in Lansing, MI
 * 1937 - Hindenburg disaster near Lakehurst, New Jersey
 * 1937 - South Tomita Primary School fire, Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan, killed 81 on 20 December
 * 1938 - Terminal Hotel Fire in Atlanta, GA
 * 1938 - Nouvelles Galeries department store fire, Marseille, France, killed 73 on October 28
 * 1940 - Rhythm Night Club Fire, Natchez, MS killed 209 on April 23
 * 1941 - Great fire of Santander, Santander,Cantabria, Spain
 * 1941 - Booth's clothing factory fire in Huddersfield, England killed 49 on October 31
 * 1942 - Knights Of Columbus hostel fire in St. John's, Newfoundland, kills 99
 * 1942 - Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts kills 492
 * 1943 - Cavan Orphanage Fire, Ireland, kills 36 on 23 February
 * 1943 - Gulf Hotel Fire in Houston, TX kills 55
 * 1943 - Hoteiza Theater Fire in Kucchan, Hokkaidō, Japan, killed 205 on March 6
 * 1944 - Hartford Circus Fire in Hartford, Connecticut killed 168 on July 6
 * 1945 - The Empire State Building in New York City, New York is set on fire by a B-25 Mitchell that crashed into the building, killing 14 on July 28
 * 1946 - Loebel club fire in Berlin, Germany, killed 89 on February 8
 * 1946 - LaSalle Hotel Fire in Chicago kills 61
 * 1946 - Winecoff Hotel Fire in Atlanta, GA, killed 119 on December 7
 * 1947 - Le Select Cinema fire in Rueil-Malmaison, France, killed 87 on August 30
 * 1947 - Ballantyne's Department Store fire, Christchurch, New Zealand, killed 41 on 18 November
 * 1948 - Explosion at BASF production site in Ludwigshafen, Germany killing 207 on July 28
 * 1949 - St. Anthony's Hospital Fire in Effingham, IL killed 70 on April 5
 * 1950 - Mercy Hospital fire, Davenport, Iowa, killed 41 on January 7
 * 1950 - Kinkakuji Fire by arsonist in Kyoto, Japan on July 2
 * 1953 - Littlefield Nursing Home Fire in Largo, FL
 * 1954 - Larkin Building Fire in Buffalo, New York First fire in Buffalo's history to go to a general alarm
 * 1955 - Elderly home for Catholic church fire in Yokohama, Japan killed 100 on February 16
 * 1957 - Warrenton Nursing Home Fire in Warrenton, MO
 * 1958 - Our Lady of the Angels School Fire, Chicago killed 95 on December 1
 * 1958 - Vida Store Fire in Bogotá
 * 1959 - Stalheim Hotel fire, Norway, killed 34 on June 23
 * 1960 - Kukje Rubber Manufacturing plant 2 fire at Busan, South Korea, killing 68, injured 44, on March 2.
 * 1960 - Cheapside Street whisky bond fire, Glasgow, Scotland, killed 19 firefighters on March 28
 * 1960 - Guatemala Mental Hospital Fire, killed 225 on July 14
 * 1960 - Syrian Movie Theater Fire in Amude (Syria)
 * 1961 - Grand North American Circus arson in Niterói (Brazil) killed 323 on December 17
 * 1963 - Fretz Building, Philadelphia, PA, 12 alarm fire was largest in city history. 50 homes and multiple businesses destroyed along with original fire building on January 1.
 * 1963 - Le Monde Theater fire at Diourbel, Kaolack, Senegal on May 4, killing 64
 * 1963 - Surfside Hotel Fire in Atlantic City, NJ on November 18
 * 1963 - Golden Age Nursing Home Fire in Fitchville, OH killed 63 on November 23
 * 1963 - Hotel Roosevelt fire in Jacksonville, FL killed 22 on December 29
 * 1967 - 1967 Tasmanian fires in Tasmania, Australia
 * 1967 - Apollo 1 burned during ground tests at Cape Canaveral
 * 1967 - L'Innovation Department Store Fire, in Brussels killed 322 on May 22
 * 1967 - Florida State Prison Fire, in Jay, FL killed 37 on July 16
 * 1968 - Stern's upholstery factory fire in Glasgow, Scotland, killed 24 on November 18
 * 1969 - Bandai Atami International Sightseeing Hotel fire, in Koriyama, Japan, kills 31 on 5 February.
 * 1970 - Club Cinq-Sept fire in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France, killed 146 on November 1
 * 1970 - Pioneer Hotel fire, Tucson, Arizona, killed 29 on December 20
 * 1971 - Taeyunkak Hotel Fire in Seoul, South Korea on December 25
 * 1972 - Hotel Vendome Fire in Boston, 9 firefighters killed on June 17
 * 1972 - Sennichi Department Store Fire in Osaka, Japan, killed 118 on May 13
 * 1972 - Coldharbour Hospital fire in Sherborne, England, killed 30 on July 5
 * 1973 - National Archives Fire in St. Louis, Missouri
 * 1973 - Summerland disaster in Douglas, Isle of Man killed 51 on August 2
 * 1973 - Hotel Hafnia fire, Copenhagen, Denmark, 35 killed on September 1
 * 1973 - Taiyo Department Store Fire in Kumamoto, Kyūshū, Japan, killed 104 on November 29
 * 1974 - Joelma Fire kills 188 in São Paulo on February 1.
 * 1974 - Pui Lai Win Hotel with night club and other facilities fire, Seoul, South Korea, 89 killed on November 3
 * 1975 - Gulf Refinery Fire, Philadelphia, PA. Eight firemen lost their lives in the inferno.  August 17.
 * 1977 - Rossiya Hotel fire in Moscow, Russia, 45 killed on February 25
 * 1977 - Hotel Polen fire in Amsterdam, Netherlands kills 33
 * 1977 - Beverly Hills Supper Club fire kills 165 in Southgate, Kentucky.
 * 1978 - The Cinema Rex Fire kills 438 in Abadan, Khuzestan, Iran.
 * 1979 - Hotel Corona de Aragon Fire in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, kills 80
 * 1979 - Lakshimki Talkies cinema fire, in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India, kills 73 on July 29.
 * 1979 - Hotel Am Augarten fire in Vienna, Austria, kills 25
 * 1979 - Opémiska Community Hall fire, Chapais, Canada, killed 48 on 31 December
 * 1980 - A fire in the Eventide Home for the Aged in Kingston, Jamaica kills 157 on May 20
 * 1980 - Nightclub fire kills 37 in London on 16 August
 * 1980 - MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas, Nevada kills 87
 * 1980 - Prince Hotel of Kawaji Fire in Kinugawa, [[Japan, kills 45
 * 1981 - Nilkanth Mahaden temple fire, Asarwa, Gujarat, India, 49 killed on December 6
 * 1981 - Keansburg Boarding Home fire in Keansburg, New Jersey kills 30
 * 1981 - New Cross Fire, London, killed 13 on January 18
 * 1981 - Stardust Disaster, discotheque fire in Dublin kills 44
 * 1981 - 1981 Bangalore circus fire, circus fire in Bangalore, India, kills 66
 * 1982 - Hotel New Japan fire, downtown of Tokyo, Japan, kills 33 on 8 February
 * 1982 - Connecticut Street Armory Fire in Buffalo, NY
 * 1982 - Salang tunnel fire kills between 150 and 1,000 people in Afghanistan's only road tunnel
 * 1982 - Caldecott Tunnel fire kills 6 and severely damages major road tunnel in Oakland, California
 * 1982 - Minneapolis Thanksgiving Day Fire destroys the Northwestern National Bank building and former Donaldson's flagship store.
 * 1983 - Turin Movie Theater fire in Turin kills 64
 * 1983 - Alcala 20 Discotheque fire in Madrid kills 83
 * 1984 - Summit tunnel fire in West Yorkshire, England
 * 1985 - Valley Parade Ground Stadium fire in Bradford, England, 56 die
 * 1985 - Saavedra Phychiatic Hospital fire in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 79, injures 247.
 * 1986 - A fire at Sandoz in the Schweizerhalle industrial area near Basel, Switzerland caused heavy pollution problems in the river Rhine in November 1986
 * 1986 - Dupont Plaza Hotel fire, set by disgruntled employees, kills 97 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
 * 1987 - A fuel tanker truck ran into an ice cream parlour and exploded in Herborn, Germany, setting 12 houses on fire, killing 6 on July 7
 * 1987 - King's Cross fire in the London Underground killed 31 on November 18
 * 1988 - A fire at Hotel International in Oerlikon (Zürich) kills 6 on February 14
 * 1988 - Piper Alpha disaster, North Sea on July 6
 * 1988 - A fire in Lisbon, Portugal destroyed 7 blocks of houses (7,500 m²) on August 25
 * 1989 - Premier Studio of Mysore fire, Mysore, Kamataka, India, 62 killed on February 8
 * 1990 - Flying discotheque fire at Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, 43 killed on January 14.
 * 1990 - Happy Land Fire (arson) in the Bronx, New York City, kills 87 on March 25
 * 1990 - 1991 Hamlet chicken plant fire kills 25 people
 * 1991 - Meridian Plaza 22nd Fl. fire caused by oil-soaked rags, Philadelphia
 * 1992 - Windsor Castle, England
 * 1992 - A part of the roof and the upper floor of the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, Austria burned down on November 26
 * 1993 - a ten-story of Hsinhua building fire, Taipei, Taiwan, 34 killed on January 18
 * 1993 - Linxi department store fire, Tangshan, Hebei, China, 79 killed, 51 injured on 14 February
 * 1993 - Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas, about 80 killed
 * 1993 - Kader Toy Factory fire, Bangkok, Thailand, 189 killed on May 10
 * 1993 - Zhili Toy Factory fire, Kuiyong, Shenzhen, China, 87 killed on November 20
 * 1993 - Gaofu Textile Factory fire, Fuzhou, Fujian, China, 61 killed on December 13
 * 1994 - 1994 Karamay theater fire, Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur, China, 324 killed on December 10
 * 1994 - Fuxin Discotheque fire at Fuxin, Liaoning, China, 234 killed on November 27
 * 1995 - 衛爾康餐廳Wei Er Kang Restaurant at Taichung, Taiwan killing 64
 * 1995 - Gyeonni Women Technical School fire, Yongin, Gyeonggi, South Korea, killing 38.
 * 1995 - Dayananda Anglo Vedic private school fire, Mandi Dabwali, Haryana, India, 538 killed on December 23
 * 1996 - Teatro La Fenice in Venice
 * 1996 - Ozone Disco Club fire, Quezon City, Philippines, 162 killed, 95 injured on March 18
 * 1996 - Pasar Anyar shopping center fire, Bogor, Jawa Barat, Indonesia, 78 killed on March 28
 * 1996 - Düsseldorf International Airport fire killing 17 on April 11
 * 1996 - Channel Tunnel fire between France and England on November 18
 * 1996 - The Garley Building fire, Hong Kong, 40 killed on November 20
 * 1997 - Brihadiswara temple fire by visitor using firecracker, at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, 60 killed, 200 injured on June 8
 * 1997 - Uphaar cinema fire, Green Park, New Delhi, 59 killed on June 13
 * 1997 - Pattaya Royal Resort Hotel fire, in Thailand, killing 88, on July 11
 * 1998 - Bombolulu Girls High School of domitory fire, Mombasa, Kenya, 24 killed on March 25
 * 1998 - Gothenburg nightclub fire in Gothenburg, Sweden, killing 63 on October 30
 * 1998 - Orphanage fire in Manila, Philippines, kills 28 on December 3
 * 1999 - Mont Blanc Tunnel fire between France and Italy, 39 killed
 * 1999 - The Worcester Cold Storage fire, 6 firefighters killed
 * 1999 - Two-story buildings with cinema complex fire at Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, killing 75 on September 24
 * 1999 - Four-story complex buildings with Sun-Hun Choe karaoke room fire at Incheon, South Korea, killing 54, injuring 70 on October 31
 * 2000 - Tiantang cinema fire in Jiaozuo, Henan, China, killing 74 on March 29
 * 2000 - December 25, Dongdu Commercial shopping center fire in Luoyang, Henan, China, killing 309
 * 2001 - On January 3, the largest loss of life ever recorded in a single family dwelling occurs in Oak Orchard, Delaware when a pot of grease left unattended on a kitchen stove leads to the loss of 11 family members.
 * 2001 - Kyanguli Secondary school fire, Machakos, Eastern, Kenya, 68 killed on March 26
 * 2001 - Ramanathapuram Badasha mental Home fire, Erwadi, Tamil Nadu, India, 25 killed on August 13
 * 2001 - Manor Hotel fire, Quezon City, Philippines, 75 killed on August 17
 * 2001 - Myojo 56 building fire, Tokyo, Japan, 44 killed on September 1.
 * 2001 - September 11 Terrorist Attacks - two planes deliberately flown into the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City, sparked fires on multiple floors. The Twin Towers both completely collapsed 56 and 103 minutes later.  Debris from the collapse of the North Tower sparked fires on multiple floors of World Trade Center Building 7, which also completely collapsed later in the day.  A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, starting fires in that building.
 * 2001 - Volendam, fire in a bar/discoteque; killing 14, injuring 180 (many with lasting scars)
 * 2001 - Fan Lin school explosion, fire breaks out in firework store, resultant explosion kills 41 children.
 * 2001 - Mesa Redonda shopping center fire, Lima, Peru, 291 killed on December 29
 * 2002 - Shree Lee International footwear factory fire, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, 42 killed on June 26
 * 2002 - Heppi Karaoke bar fire, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, 42 killed on July 9
 * 2002 - Ho Chi Minh City ITC Inferno, Vietnam, over 60 killed, over 100 missing and 500 injured in a luxurious department store fire and collapse
 * 2002 - Sidi Moussa prison fire, El Jadida, Morocco, killing 50, on November 2
 * 2002 - La Coajira nightclub fire at Caracas, Venezuela, 47 killed on December 1
 * 2003 - Daegu subway fire in Daegu (South Korea)
 * 2003 - The Station nightclub fire 96 died at the scene; 4 died from injuries at local hospitals in West Warwick, Rhode Island
 * 2003 - Patrice Lumumba People's Friendship University, Moscow
 * 2004 - Zhongbai Commercial Plaza fire, Jilin, northeastern China, killed 53 on February 16
 * 2004 - Sri Krishna Aided Higher Secondary School fire, Kumbakonam, Tamil-Nadu, India, killed 94 on July 16
 * 2004 - Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire, Asuncion, Paraguay, kills 370, injures 500 on August 1.
 * 2004 - República Cromagnon nightclub fire in Buenos Aires kills 194, injures 714 on December 30.
 * 2005 - The Windsor Tower Building Fire (Spain), February 14-15
 * 2005 - 11 die at a fire in the detention center of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on October 27.
 * 2005 - Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire, a major explosion at Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal in Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom injures 43 on December 11.
 * 2005 - Liaoyang City Central Hospital fire, Liaoyang, Jilin, China, 39 killed on December 12.
 * 2006 - KTS Composite Textile factory fire, at Chittagong, Bangladesh, 65 killed, 100 injured on February 24.
 * 2006 - Kolkata leather factory fire kills at least nine people in India on November 22.
 * 2006 - Moscow hospital fire kills 45 drug addicts in a rehabilitation centre on December 9.
 * 2006 - Fire at store in Ormoc City, Philippines kills 24
 * 2007 - Nursing home fire at Kamyshevatskaya, Krasnodar, southern Russia, killed 63 on March 19
 * 2007 - Warehouse fire in Charleston, SC; 9 firefighters were killed battling the blaze.
 * 2007 - Warehouse fire in Atherstone-on-Stour, Warwickshire when four firefighters were killed
 * 2007 - Warehouse fire in Mexico City, Mexico where five people were killed
 * 2008 - 12-story retail and office building fire kills 3 firefighters in Ürümqi (China) on January 2
 * 2008 - Under constructing Korea 2000 refrigerated warehouse fire, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 40 killed, on January 7.
 * 2008 - Namdaemun fire with collapse at Seoul, South Korea on February 10.
 * 2008 - Quebec City Armoury fire, Quebec, Canada, on April 4
 * 2008 - four-story Rosamor Furniture ameublements plant fire, Lissasfa, Casablanca, Morocco, killing 55 on April 25

City or area fires

 * 64 - Great Fire of Rome
 * 847 - Borgo, the area around Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome
 * 1204 - Constantinople burned three times during the Fourth Crusade
 * 1421 - First Great Fire of Amsterdam
 * 1452 - Second Great Fire of Amsterdam, three quarters of the city destroyed
 * 1547 - Moscow fire which sparked a rebellion
 * 1571 - Moscow fire occurred when the forces of the Crimean khan Devlet I Giray raided the city
 * 1657 - Great Fire of Meireki - Edo (modern-day Tokyo)
 * 1666 - Great Fire of London
 * 1676 - Jamestown, Virginia Nathanial Bacon and his followers burned Jamestown to prevent Governor Berkley from using it as a base.
 * 1694 - the Great Fire of Warwick
 * 1696 - St. John's, Newfoundland and 35 other settlements burned by French forces under Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
 * 1702 - Uppsala, Sweden, large parts of the city devastated and the cathedral and Uppsala Castle severely damaged.
 * 1728 - Copenhagen Fire of 1728, two-fifths of the city burned down during three days. 3,650 families became homeless.
 * 1734 - Montreal, New France
 * 1776 - First Great Fire of New York City
 * 1788 - Great New Orleans Fire
 * 1788 - Great Fire of Tenmei - Kyoto, Japan, 150 killed, 37,000 houses burned, on January 30
 * 1794 - New Orleans
 * 1795 - Copenhagen fire of 1795
 * 1805 - Detroit
 * 1811 - 1811 Great fire of Podil
 * 1812 - Moscow, to deny shelter to Napoleon
 * 1812 - Buffalo, New York burned during the War of 1812
 * 1813 - Portsmouth, New Hampshire
 * 1813 - York, Upper Canada burned during the War of 1812
 * 1814 - Burning of Washington during the War of 1812
 * 1817 - St. John's, Newfoundland
 * 1821 - Paramaribo (Suriname) over 400 houses destroyed
 * 1827 - Great Fire of Turku
 * 1835 - Second Great Fire of New York City
 * 1845 - Great Fire of Pittsburgh destroyed over 1000 buildings
 * 1846 - St. John's, Newfoundland
 * 1849 - St. Louis Fire, first US firefighter killed in the line of duty
 * 1849 - Toronto, Ontario
 * 1850 - Kraków, Poland, 10% of the city area
 * 1852 - Vaasa, Finland
 * 1854 - Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead: a spectacular explosion leads to the great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead, killing 53 and levelling substantial property in both towns.
 * 1862 - Troy, New York, over 500 buildings destroyed
 * 1864 - Atlanta burned after time given for evacuation of citizens by order of William Tecumseh Sherman
 * 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina burned while being occupied by troops commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman
 * 1865 - Richmond, Virginia burned by retreating Confederates.
 * 1871 - Great Chicago Fire, destroyed the downtown on October 8
 * 1871 - Peshtigo, Wisconsin Fire, several towns destroyed in a firestorm, 1500-2500 dead, same day as Chicago Fire
 * 1872 - Great Boston Fire of 1872, destroyed 776 buildings and killed at least 20 people.
 * 1877 - Saint John, New Brunswick Fire destroyed 1600 buildings
 * 1883 - Ponce, Puerto Rico
 * 1886 - Great Vancouver Fire, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1886.
 * 1889 - Great Seattle Fire
 * 1892 - St. John's, Newfoundland
 * 1894 - Great Fire in Shanghai; over 1,000 buildings are destroyed




 * 1901 - Great Fire of 1901, Jacksonville, Florida
 * 1904 - Great Baltimore Fire
 * 1904 - Great Toronto Fire
 * 1904 - Ålesund Fire
 * 1906 - San Francisco earthquake and fire
 * 1910 - The Big Blowup or Great Fire of 1910, Washington, Idaho and Montana, over 3 million acres (12,000 km²), 85 dead. This fire set new policies, and created new organizations for fighting wildfires.
 * 1910 - Ököritófülpös, Hungary, fire in a barn during a dancing-party killed 312 people.
 * 1914 - Great Salem Fire of 1914
 * 1916 - Matheson Fire, Matheson, Ontario
 * 1917 - The Halifax Explosion, largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb
 * 1917 - Over 300 acres (1.2 km²) (73 blocks) destroyed in Great Atlanta fire of 1917
 * 1917 - Great Fire of 1917, Thessaloniki, Greece
 * 1921 - Tulsa Race Riot, 35 city blocks; 1,256 residences were destroyed by arson
 * 1922 - The Great Fire of Smyrna, Izmir, Turkey
 * 1923 - Tokyo following the Great Kantō earthquake
 * 1933 - Tillamook Burn
 * 1934 - Great Hakodate Fire, Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan, killed 2,166
 * 1938 - 1938 Changsha Fire, 56,000 buildings burned by the Chinese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War to prevent the Japanese from getting resources from the city, 3,000 civilians killed on November 13.
 * 1940 - The Second Great Fire of London, one of the most destructive air raids of the London Blitz.
 * 1941 - Santander, Cantabria
 * 1945 - Bombing of Dresden in World War II, which caused a firestorm
 * 1945 - Bombing of Tokyo in World War II, causing the largest urban conflagration in history.
 * 1945 - Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing two large city fires, one in Hiroshima and one in Nagasaki
 * 1947 - Texas City Disaster, two ships explode, igniting chemical works, 460 - 600 killed
 * 1948 - Fukui earthquake with fire, 46,000 buildings and houses lost on July
 * 1949 - Mann Gulch fire
 * 1949 - Landes Mountain forest fire, 256,000 acres lost, 240 killed, include 82 firefighters, on August.
 * 1951 - Tung Tau fire, fire in a squatter area in Hong Kong, up to 25,000 homeless, led to the Comfort Mission riot
 * 1953 - Shek Kip Mei Fire, fire in a squatter area in Hong Kong, 58,000 homeless
 * 1961 - Bukit Ho Swee Fire, flames erupt in a squatter settlement in Singapore, making 16,000 homeless
 * 1963 - Paraná forest fire, 2 million hectares lost, killing at least 110, with 5,000 houses burned on September.
 * 1966 - Serra de Sintra forest fire,outskirt of Lisbon, Portugal, 2,660 hectares lost, killing 26.
 * 1971 - 1971 Kure forest fire, Kure, western Honshu, Japan, 18 firefighters killed on April 27
 * 1981 - Arson fire in Lynn, Massachusetts levels downtown factory area under redevelopment; no conviction; $80 million damage estimate
 * 1983 - North Division Street explosion in Buffalo, New York kills 5 firefighters and 2civilians and destroys millions in property.
 * 1985 - Isabella Island forest fire, Galapagos Island, Ecuador, 62,500 acres lost on March.
 * 1985 - Annanar forest fire, Portugal, 150,000 hectares lost, killing 14.
 * 1987 - Greater Hinggan forest fire, Heilongjiang, China, 19 million acres lost, 213 killed on April
 * 1988 - Yellowstone fires of 1988 largest, most expensive wildfire in the history of the National Park Service, at the world's first National Park
 * 1988 - Great Lashio Fire, Lashio, Myanmar, killed 134, 2000 building destroy.
 * 1991 - Kuwaiti oil fires following the Persian Gulf War
 * 1991 - Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3469 homes and apartments
 * 1993 - tsunami hit with fire at Okushiri Island, Japan by 1993 quake, 645 houses lost, 202 killed on July.
 * 1994 - Isabella Island forest fire, Galapagos Island, Ecuador, 1,200 hectares lost on April.
 * 1994 - South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mt. near Glenwood Springs, Colorado kills fourteen firefighters on July 6.
 * 1995 - Great Hanshin Earthquake with fire, Kobe, Japan
 * 2000 - Jasper Fire in The Black Hills of South Dakota burns 93,000+ acres (380 km²), the largest fire in Black Hills history
 * 2002 - Lagos armoury explosion causes fire which destroys half of Lagos and killed 1,100 people
 * 2002 - Edinburgh Cowgate fire
 * 2002 - Rodeo-Chediski fire
 * 2003 - Canberra bushfires fire that killed 4 and destroyed over 500 homes
 * 2003 - Ceder fires fire that destroyed over 550 homes and many acres of land
 * 2006 - Day Fire, Los Angeles and Ventura counties in California.
 * 2007 - 2007 Greek forest fires large fire in Greece
 * 2007 - October 2007 California wildfires Fires in California
 * 2008 - Camden Market Fire, which caused severe damage to one of North London's most famous shopping districts.

Ship fires
See also: List of ship and ferry disasters


 * 1800 - British warship Queen Charlotte &mdash; 700 deaths
 * 1840 - Steamship Lexington in Long Island Sound &mdash; 139 deaths
 * 1893 - Freighter Cabo Machichaco in Santander, Spain &mdash; 500 deaths.
 * 1904 - Steamship General Slocum in New York City &mdash; 1,021 deaths
 * 1917 - Munitions ship Mont-Blanc burned, drifted and detonated in the Halifax Explosion &mdash; roughly 2,000 deaths
 * 1934 - SS Morro Castle off Asbury Park, New Jersey &mdash; 137 deaths, ship gutted and beached
 * 1941 - Attack on Pearl Harbor, sinking USS Arizona and several other ships; extensive fires generated aboard and around ships
 * 1941 - SS Normandie in New York City, ship capsized and sank at pier
 * 1949 - SS Noronic in Toronto, Canada &mdash; 118 to 139 deaths
 * 1963 - Lakonia near Madeira &mdash; 128 deaths
 * 1965 - SS Yarmouth Castle near Nassau, Bahamas &mdash; 90 deaths
 * 1972 - RMS Queen Elizabeth in Hong Kong, ship sank in harbour
 * 1987 - Doña Paz in the Philippines &mdash; an estimated 4,000 deaths
 * 1990 - M/S Scandinavian Star off Norway &mdash; 159 deaths
 * 1994 - Achille Lauro near Somalia
 * 2006 - Star Princess in the Caribbean &mdash; 1 death
 * 2007 - Cutty Sark, 19th-century clipper in dry dock as a museum ship in Greenwich, London extensively damaged while undergoing restoration on May 21

Other fires

 * 1903 - Paris Métro train fire kills 84
 * 1913 - Ais Gill rail crash in England kills 14 chiefly through fire on September 1
 * 1915 - Quintinshill rail crash in Scotland kills 227 chiefly through fire on May 22
 * 1916 - Black Tom explosion (fires led to the explosion)
 * 1951 - Sakuragicho commuter train fire, Yokohama, Japan, 106 killed.
 * 1962 - Centralia, Pennsylvania mine fire begins
 * 1972 - Hokuriku railroad tunnel fire, Tsuruga, Japan, 31 killed, 637 injured.
 * 1975 - Tent site at Mina, Saudi Arabia, 138 killed
 * 1978 - Taunton train fire on British Rail kills 12 on July 6
 * 1978 - Los Alfaques Disaster kills 217 on a campsite near Tarragona, in Spain on July 11
 * 1986 - General Mining Union Kinross gold mine fire, Transvaal, South Africa, 177 killed, 230 injured on September 16.
 * 1992 - Chien-Kang Bus Fire (健康幼稚園火燒車事件) one bus carrying 50 kindergarten students, teachers, and parents caught fire at Taoyuan on their way to the Leofoo Amusement Park killing 23 and injuring 9.
 * 1998 - Yaounde train explosion fuel train explosion, kills 120 people.
 * 2000 - Ibadan tanker truck explosion multiple car pile-up explodes 100-200 killed.
 * 2000 - Kaprun disaster, Austrian funicular train fire, kills 155 people
 * 2002 - Al Ayatt train disaster, Egypt
 * 2003 - Ladhowal train fire, India
 * 2003 - Chun-Lung Bus Fire (尊龍客運高速公路火燒車事故) - a charter bus caught fire at Taipei County killing 6 and injuring 4.
 * 2006 - Brand India Fair at Meerut Victoria Park fire, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, 100 killed on April 10.