List of the deadliest firefighter disasters in the United States

Below is a list of the deadliest firefighter disasters in the United States, in which more than five firefighters died. "Firefighter" is defined as a professional trained to fight fires. Hence the 1933 Griffith Park fire is excluded, as it killed 29 untrained civilians.

List

Rank Event Date Firefighter Fatalities Coordinates Reference
1 September 11 attacks September 11, 2001 343 40°42′46.8″N 74°0′48.6″W / 40.713000°N 74.013500°W / 40.713000; -74.013500 [1]
2 Great Fire of 1910 August 22, 1910 78[N 1] 47°25′34″N 116°6′13″W / 47.42611°N 116.10361°W / 47.42611; -116.10361 [1][3]
3 Texas City disaster April 16, 1947 27 29°22′39″N 94°53′29″W / 29.37750°N 94.89139°W / 29.37750; -94.89139 [4][2]
4 Chicago Union Stock Yards fire (1910) December 22, 1910 21 41°49′8.31″N 87°39′40.08″W / 41.8189750°N 87.6611333°W / 41.8189750; -87.6611333 [4][2]
6 McKee refinery fire July 29, 1956 19 35°57′21.28″N 101°53′11.49″W / 35.9559111°N 101.8865250°W / 35.9559111; -101.8865250 [4][2]
Yarnell Hill Fire June 30, 2013 19 34°14′47.84″N 112°45′20.94″W / 34.2466222°N 112.7558167°W / 34.2466222; -112.7558167 [2]
8 Blackwater fire of 1937 August 21, 1937 15 44°24′43″N 109°44′30″W / 44.41194°N 109.74167°W / 44.41194; -109.74167 [5]
Rattlesnake Fire July 9, 1953 15 39°39′19.05″N 122°38′9.67″W / 39.6552917°N 122.6360194°W / 39.6552917; -122.6360194 [4][2]
10 South Canyon Fire July 6, 1994 14 39°34′26.48″N 107°25′36.82″W / 39.5740222°N 107.4268944°W / 39.5740222; -107.4268944 [4][2]
11 Strand Theatre fire (Brockton, Massachusetts) March 10, 1941 13 42°4′58.40″N 71°1′9.58″W / 42.0828889°N 71.0193278°W / 42.0828889; -71.0193278 [4][2]
Mann Gulch fire August 4, 1949 13 46°52′46.56″N 111°54′17.64″W / 46.8796000°N 111.9049000°W / 46.8796000; -111.9049000 [4][2]
Friedlander Leather Remnants Factory fire December 21, 1910 13 39°58′5.50″N 75°8′29.35″W / 39.9681944°N 75.1414861°W / 39.9681944; -75.1414861 [4]
Bowen-Merrill Bookstore Fire March 17, 1890 13 39°46′02.7″N 86°09′32.0″W / 39.767417°N 86.158889°W / 39.767417; -86.158889 [6]
15 Kingman explosion July 5, 1973 12 35°12′54.10″N 114°1′48.95″W / 35.2150278°N 114.0302639°W / 35.2150278; -114.0302639 [4]
23rd Street Fire October 17, 1966 12 40°44′27.39″N 73°59′20.01″W / 40.7409417°N 73.9888917°W / 40.7409417; -73.9888917 [4]
Loop Fire Disaster November 1, 1966 12 34°20′05″N 118°23′47″W / 34.33472°N 118.39639°W / 34.33472; -118.39639 [N 2] [7]
18 Inaja Fire November 25, 1956 11 33°5′54″N 116°39′50″W / 33.09833°N 116.66389°W / 33.09833; -116.66389 [8]
W. T. Jennings Fire April 25, 1854 11 40°42′44″N 74°00′29″W / 40.71233°N 74.008109°W / 40.71233; -74.008109 [9][10]
20 West Fertilizer Company explosion April 17, 2013 10 31°48′58″N 97°05′17″W / 31.816°N 97.088°W / 31.816; -97.088 [11]
21 Charleston Sofa Super Store fire June 18, 2007 9 40°44′27.39″N 73°59′20.01″W / 40.7409417°N 73.9888917°W / 40.7409417; -73.9888917 [12]
Hotel Vendome fire June 17, 1972 9 42°21′4.55″N 71°4′43.09″W / 42.3512639°N 71.0786361°W / 42.3512639; -71.0786361 [4][2]
Collins Block Fire (Syracuse, New York) February 3, 1939 9 43°3′4.79″N 76°9′12.92″W / 43.0513306°N 76.1535889°W / 43.0513306; -76.1535889 [13]
2008 Carson Helicopters Iron 44 crash August 5, 2008 9 [14][15]
24 Great Boston Fire of 1872 November 9, 1872 8 42°21′13.75″N 71°3′30.80″W / 42.3538194°N 71.0585556°W / 42.3538194; -71.0585556 [1]
1975 Philadelphia Gulf refinery fire August 17, 1975 8 39°54′7″N 75°12′17″W / 39.90194°N 75.20472°W / 39.90194; -75.20472 [16]
Jackson Pyrotechnic Explosion (Chester, Pennsylvania) February 17, 1882 8 39°50′46″N 75°21′24″W / 39.84611°N 75.35667°W / 39.84611; -75.35667 [17]
28 Woolworth Fire- Charleston WV March 4, 1949 7 38°21′00.0″N 81°38′06.1″W / 38.350000°N 81.635028°W / 38.350000; -81.635028
29 Waldbaum's supermarket fire August 2, 1978 6 40°35′33.93″N 73°57′0.48″W / 40.5927583°N 73.9501333°W / 40.5927583; -73.9501333 [18]
29 Queens soap plant fire October 26, 1962 6 40°43′39″N 73°55′24″W / 40.72740°N 73.92338°W / 40.72740; -73.92338 [19][20]
29 1988 Kansas City explosion November 29, 1988 6 39°50′47.98″N 94°34′22.49″W / 39.8466611°N 94.5729139°W / 39.8466611; -94.5729139 [21]
29 Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire (Worcester, Massachusetts) December 3, 1999 6 42°15′36.23″N 71°47′34.17″W / 42.2600639°N 71.7928250°W / 42.2600639; -71.7928250 [4]


Notes

Footnotes

  1. ^ Another source says that there were 86 deaths, but this seems to count almost all of the civilians as well.[2]
  2. ^ Angeles National Forest. Approximately 2,500 feet (760 m) southwest of the Pacoima Dam. Page 12 & 43 of The Loop Fire Report reference has map with the location marked relative to the dam.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "Deadliest incidents resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters". National Fire Protection Association.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Worst Firefighter Tragedies: Where Deadly Ariz. Blaze Ranks". NBC 10 Philadelphia. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  3. ^ Inferno "Inferno > English > Historical Fires > 1910 Fire Season". Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "FOX Facts: Deadliest Firefighter Disasters". Fox News. June 19, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Staff Ride to the Blackwater Fire". Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "Memorial Monday - Bowen-Merrill Bookstore Fire (Indianapolis, IN)". March 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Pyles, Hamilton; Spaulding, Alfred; Wilson, Carl; Moore, William; Brunton, George (n.d.). "The Loop Fire Disaster" (PDF). Fireleadership.gov. United States Forest Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "America's Most Devastating Wildfires | American Experience". www.pbs.org. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  9. ^ "Jennings Building Fire and Collapse". New York City Fire Museum. April 25, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "DREADFUL LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY!; LARGE FIRE IN BROADWAY. Falling in of the Wall. Firemen Buried Under the Ruins. TEN MEN KILLED! AND SEVERAL DANGEROUSLY INJURED. $20,000 worth of Property Destroyed". New-York Daily Times. April 26, 1854. p. 4.
  11. ^ "Memorial held for firefighters killed in West Texas Fertilizer Company explosion". April 22, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "Remembering the Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire Six Years Later". International Association of Fire Fighters. June 18, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "Syracuse Post Standard, Syracuse NY, Jan 31, 2015" "Rochester Democrat Chronicle, Rochester NY, Feb 4, 1939"
  14. ^ "2008 June Fire Siege" (PDF). Cal Fire. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Iron 44 Helicopter Crash Fatalities 2008". www.lessons.wildfire.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "Gulf Oil Refinery- Philadelphia, Pa. 30 Years Ago. Tragic Fire Revisited". Firehouse. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  17. ^ "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 17, 1882" "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 19, 1912"
  18. ^ Spak, Steve. ""The Waldbaum's Fire and Tragedy"".
  19. ^ "Queens Auto Shop Memorializing Tragic Fire At Location". CBS News. October 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Holden, Robert F. (March 23, 2013). "They came because they always do. Maspeth Remembers and Dedicates Site of Tragic Fire 50 Years ago". Juniper Park Civic. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  21. ^ "Six Kansas City firefighters killed in 1988 explosion". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
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