This is a list of building or structure fires where a building or structure has caught fire. For major urban conflagrations, see
List of town and city fires.
1613 –
Globe Theatre in London. During the performance, cannon misfire caught the thatched roof on fire and the Theatre burned down.[2]
1652 – Town hall of
Amsterdam burnt down. Treasures and important historical charters were destroyed.
1671 – Much of the monastery of the
Escorial outside Madrid burned in a fire lasting 15 days, destroying large numbers of artworks, books and manuscripts.
1870 – Wickford Bank Fire, Rhode Island, destroyed 160 years of town records kept in bank vault[3] (records for what are multiple towns today such as Narragansett, North Kingstown, etc.).
1874 –
Olympic Theatre destroyed by fire, killing two firefighters. Suspected arson.
1922 – Public Records Office fire during civil unrest at the
Four Courts complex, Dublin, Ireland, destroyed much of seven centuries of Irish public records.
1923
February 18 – Manhattan State Hospital fire in New York City, killed 25.
May 10 –
Biblioteca Nacional in Lima, Peru. In May, a fire completely destroyed the National Library, with the loss of 100,000 volumes as well as 40,000 manuscripts.
May –
Old Town Hall in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In May, during the
Prague uprising, a fire severely damaged the Old Town Hall, with the loss of its bell, the oldest in Bohemia, and 70,000 volumes, as well as historically priceless manuscripts.[18]
February 18 – 61st Regiment Farm fire in
Xinjiang, China, killed 694. The fire started when a pile of undisposed wreaths for the late Mao Zedong were set off by a child celebrating the Chinese New Year.[6][39][40]
February 25 –
Rossiya Hotel fire in Moscow, Russia, 42–45 killed and 50 injured.
February 27 – Moscow–Leningrad (USSR) train fire killed 17.
August 2 –
Waldbaum's supermarket fire, Brooklyn, New York. Six New York City firefighters died when the roof collapsed, plunging 12 firefighters into the flames.
November 5 – The
Younkers Department store at the Merle Hay Mall in
Des Moines, Iowa, killed 10 store employees. The store was closed and rebuilt a year after the fire.
December 23 – Dorothy Mae Apartments arson fire in Los Angeles, California, killed 25 people, the highest death toll from a structure fire in the city's history.[48]
May 11 –
Haunted Castle attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in
Jackson Township, New Jersey. Eight teenagers died in a fast-moving fire. Their corpses were mistaken for mannequins by emergency personnel. None of them or the Six Flags administrators realized these fatalities until later.
July 9 –
York Minster fire. A fire destroyed part of the Minster's roof in
York, England.
March 31 –
Hampton Court Palace fire near London, England, was determined to have been accidentally set by its only victim, the 86-year-old widow of General
Richard Gale.
April 26 – Chernobyl disaster: An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant led to a meltdown resulting in the worst nuclear accident in history to date.
October 5 – Hillhaven Rehabilitation and Convalescent Home fire in
Norfolk, Virginia, killed 12.
December 24 – Sevier Center renovated hotel senior residence in Johnson City, Tennessee, killed 14 by smoke inhalation.
1990s
1990
January 14 – Flying discothèque fire at
Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, killed 43.
March 25 – Happy Land fire, arson fire in
the Bronx, New York City, killed 87, the deadliest crime committed by a single person in the history of New York City.
1991
February 23 –
Leningrad hotel fire killed 16 including 9 firefighters and injured 36.
May 1 – A fire at
Phantasialand in Germany destroyed two roller coasters, a theatre and parts of the Westernstadt. It caused about 38 million Deutsche Mark (US$17 million) in damage and injured 54.
September 11 – September 11 attacks – Two airliners deliberately flown into the
World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City sparked fires on multiple floors. 2,606 victims died as a result of the fires and the subsequent collapse of the towers. A third building, World Trade Center Building 7, which was not hit by a plane, but heavily damaged due to the collapse of the towers, also caught fire and subsequently collapsed. A third plane crashed into
the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and its impact and subsequent fire killed 125 in the building.
June 16 – Lanjisu internet cafe fire in
Beijing, China. Disgruntled youngsters set fire to the cafe after being banned. The fire killed 25 people and injured 13 others.
June 26 – Shree Lee International footwear factory fire in
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, killed 42.
November 21 – Fire caused by electrical
short circuit at a
eunuch festival, Delhi, India, killed 15 and injured at least 36.[77]
December 9 – A fire at AMRI hospital
Kolkata, West Bengal, India, mostly caused by toxic fumes spreading through ducts of the
central air conditioning system, killed at least 90.[78]
February 19 – A massive fire swept through a market in
Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, destroying between 500 and 1800 stalls, injured 11.[80]
June 26 – A fire in a market in Moscow, Russia, killed 17 migrant workers.[81]
May 6 – Explosions and a fire at Bangkok Synthetics Plant
petrochemical plant for synthetic rubber, in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in
Rayong Province, Thailand, killed 12 and injured over 100.[82]
September 11 – 2012 Pakistan garment factory fires. A fire in a Lahore shoe factory killed 25 workers.[85]
October 23 – An arson at the Beinan Branch of Xinyang Hospital, Taiwan, killed 13 patients. The perpetrator, in the final phase of cancer and upset by his illness, received the death penalty, dying during detention in April 2014.[86]
January 27 – Kiss nightclub fire. A fire in the Kiss nightclub in
Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil, after performers were said to have set off fireworks, killed at least 233.[88][89]
April 17 – West Fertilizer Company explosion. West, Texas explosion, when probable arson started a fire that detonated hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate at a fertilizer plant, killed 15 and injured over 160. Nearby apartment buildings were destroyed and windows seven miles (eleven kilometres) away were broken.
July 6 – Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. An unattended freight train carrying crude oil rolled into Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, and derailed, resulting in an explosion and fire which destroyed more than 30 buildings in the town's centre, killed 42 with five more missing and presumed dead.
September 13 – A fire at a psychiatric hospital in Luka,
Novgorod Oblast, Russia, killed 37.[93]
May 28 – A fire at a hospital in
Jangseong County in South Korea, killed 22 and injured several more.[96]
September 26 – 2014 air traffic control facility fire. Arson at an air traffic control edifice in Aurora, Illinois, United States (also known as the "Chicago Center") caused close to 2000 airline flights to undertake emergency landings.[97]
December 29 – 2014 Lahore shopping centre fire. Fire in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore, Pakistan, killed at least 13.[98]
January 30 – A massive fire at a factory in
Sokolniki District, Moscow, Russia, killed 12.[101]
August 6 – 2016 Rouen fire. A fire at a birthday party at the Cuba Libre pub in
Rouen, France, killed 14.
August 10 – A hospital fire at
Yarmouk Hospital in
Baghdad, Iraq, killed 11 newborn babies and injured 29 women. The fire was set deliberately by eight men in order to cover up their theft of 100 million
Iraqi dinars. They were later arrested.[102] The
Minister of Health of Iraq later resigned due to the incident.[103]
November 2 – A fire at a karaoke lounge in Vietnam, killed 13.[104]
November 9 – 2016 Bethlehem Steel fire at the old cooling house of a former
Bethlehem Steel complex in
Lackawanna, New York, mobilized
Erie County, New York mutual aid from the City of Buffalo as well as suburban volunteer fire companies to assist the Lackawanna Fire Department. A large plume of black smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up by the local
NEXRADweather radar. A minor injury to a Buffalo Firefighter occurred.
July 14 – Marco Polo condo fire. The fire in Honolulu, Hawaii, killed four and injured 13.
September 14 – 2017 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa fire. A fire occurred at the Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At least 24 students and teachers were killed.[108]
December 21 – 2017 Jecheon fire. A gym fire in Jecheon, South Korea, killed 29 and injured 36.[109]
December 23 – 2017 Davao City mall fire, Philippines. A fire erupted in a shopping mall (NCCC Mall Davao) in
Davao City, which killed 38; 37 worked for
Survey Sampling International, and one of the mall's employees who was also a part of the mall's emergency response team.[110]
March 28 – 2018 Valencia, Venezuela fire. Rioting and a fire at a police station in the Venezuelan city of Valencia, in Carabobo State, killed 68.[116]
April 23 – A suspected arson attack at a karaoke lounge in southern China killed 18 and injured five.[117]
June 15 – The
Glasgow School of Art main building, nearing the end of restoration after the fire in 2014, was badly damaged in another fire that destroyed the interior of the adjoining
O2 ABC music venue.[118][119]
January 4 – A fire at an
escape room in
Koszalin,
Poland, killed 5 teenagers. The fire is believed to have been caused by leaking gas cylinders.[121][122]
February 5 – A fire at a building in
Paris,
France, killed 10. It was started by a woman after an altercation with the neighbors, who was later arrested by police.[123]
February 8 – Ninho do Urubu fire. A fire in a dormitory at a soccer youth team training centre in
Flamengo, Brazil, killed 10 teenage players.[124]
February 12 – A fire that broke out at a hotel in
Delhi,
India, killed 17.[125]
Notre-Dame de Paris fire
April 15 – Notre-Dame fire. Roof and spire were destroyed, and heavy damage was done to the interior of the cathedral due to the collapsing spire and roof, along with water and smoke damage. The cathedral was undergoing renovations at the time.
September 12 – A fire started in an electric generator behind the
intensive care unit of a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killed 14 patients due to asphyxiation from smoke or life support equipment shutdown.[127]
September 18 – A fire in a boarding school near
Monrovia, Liberia, killed 27.[128]
4 July – Fire at the historic Police Headquarters, also known as Line Barracks or Casernes Centrales, in
Port Louis, Mauritius; at two separate locations of the compounds of the Special Supporting Unit (SSU) No 4, at a warehouse and then at the office premises.[146]
5 August – Fire at Mountain B night-club in
Pattaya, Thailand, killed 14 people and injured 40.
19 January – A fire at a military barracks in
Azat, Armenia, killed 15 and injured seven.[153]
6 February – A fire in a house in
Charly-sur-Marne, France, killed 8 and injured 1.[154]
3 March –
Plumpang oil depot fire in Indonesia, killed 17 when an oil depot caught on fire and exploded, with the fire spreading to nearby dense residential areas.[155]
^"The First Globe". Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Archived from
the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
This is a list of building or structure fires where a building or structure has caught fire. For major urban conflagrations, see
List of town and city fires.
1613 –
Globe Theatre in London. During the performance, cannon misfire caught the thatched roof on fire and the Theatre burned down.[2]
1652 – Town hall of
Amsterdam burnt down. Treasures and important historical charters were destroyed.
1671 – Much of the monastery of the
Escorial outside Madrid burned in a fire lasting 15 days, destroying large numbers of artworks, books and manuscripts.
1870 – Wickford Bank Fire, Rhode Island, destroyed 160 years of town records kept in bank vault[3] (records for what are multiple towns today such as Narragansett, North Kingstown, etc.).
1874 –
Olympic Theatre destroyed by fire, killing two firefighters. Suspected arson.
1922 – Public Records Office fire during civil unrest at the
Four Courts complex, Dublin, Ireland, destroyed much of seven centuries of Irish public records.
1923
February 18 – Manhattan State Hospital fire in New York City, killed 25.
May 10 –
Biblioteca Nacional in Lima, Peru. In May, a fire completely destroyed the National Library, with the loss of 100,000 volumes as well as 40,000 manuscripts.
May –
Old Town Hall in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In May, during the
Prague uprising, a fire severely damaged the Old Town Hall, with the loss of its bell, the oldest in Bohemia, and 70,000 volumes, as well as historically priceless manuscripts.[18]
February 18 – 61st Regiment Farm fire in
Xinjiang, China, killed 694. The fire started when a pile of undisposed wreaths for the late Mao Zedong were set off by a child celebrating the Chinese New Year.[6][39][40]
February 25 –
Rossiya Hotel fire in Moscow, Russia, 42–45 killed and 50 injured.
February 27 – Moscow–Leningrad (USSR) train fire killed 17.
August 2 –
Waldbaum's supermarket fire, Brooklyn, New York. Six New York City firefighters died when the roof collapsed, plunging 12 firefighters into the flames.
November 5 – The
Younkers Department store at the Merle Hay Mall in
Des Moines, Iowa, killed 10 store employees. The store was closed and rebuilt a year after the fire.
December 23 – Dorothy Mae Apartments arson fire in Los Angeles, California, killed 25 people, the highest death toll from a structure fire in the city's history.[48]
May 11 –
Haunted Castle attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in
Jackson Township, New Jersey. Eight teenagers died in a fast-moving fire. Their corpses were mistaken for mannequins by emergency personnel. None of them or the Six Flags administrators realized these fatalities until later.
July 9 –
York Minster fire. A fire destroyed part of the Minster's roof in
York, England.
March 31 –
Hampton Court Palace fire near London, England, was determined to have been accidentally set by its only victim, the 86-year-old widow of General
Richard Gale.
April 26 – Chernobyl disaster: An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant led to a meltdown resulting in the worst nuclear accident in history to date.
October 5 – Hillhaven Rehabilitation and Convalescent Home fire in
Norfolk, Virginia, killed 12.
December 24 – Sevier Center renovated hotel senior residence in Johnson City, Tennessee, killed 14 by smoke inhalation.
1990s
1990
January 14 – Flying discothèque fire at
Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, killed 43.
March 25 – Happy Land fire, arson fire in
the Bronx, New York City, killed 87, the deadliest crime committed by a single person in the history of New York City.
1991
February 23 –
Leningrad hotel fire killed 16 including 9 firefighters and injured 36.
May 1 – A fire at
Phantasialand in Germany destroyed two roller coasters, a theatre and parts of the Westernstadt. It caused about 38 million Deutsche Mark (US$17 million) in damage and injured 54.
September 11 – September 11 attacks – Two airliners deliberately flown into the
World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City sparked fires on multiple floors. 2,606 victims died as a result of the fires and the subsequent collapse of the towers. A third building, World Trade Center Building 7, which was not hit by a plane, but heavily damaged due to the collapse of the towers, also caught fire and subsequently collapsed. A third plane crashed into
the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and its impact and subsequent fire killed 125 in the building.
June 16 – Lanjisu internet cafe fire in
Beijing, China. Disgruntled youngsters set fire to the cafe after being banned. The fire killed 25 people and injured 13 others.
June 26 – Shree Lee International footwear factory fire in
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, killed 42.
November 21 – Fire caused by electrical
short circuit at a
eunuch festival, Delhi, India, killed 15 and injured at least 36.[77]
December 9 – A fire at AMRI hospital
Kolkata, West Bengal, India, mostly caused by toxic fumes spreading through ducts of the
central air conditioning system, killed at least 90.[78]
February 19 – A massive fire swept through a market in
Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, destroying between 500 and 1800 stalls, injured 11.[80]
June 26 – A fire in a market in Moscow, Russia, killed 17 migrant workers.[81]
May 6 – Explosions and a fire at Bangkok Synthetics Plant
petrochemical plant for synthetic rubber, in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in
Rayong Province, Thailand, killed 12 and injured over 100.[82]
September 11 – 2012 Pakistan garment factory fires. A fire in a Lahore shoe factory killed 25 workers.[85]
October 23 – An arson at the Beinan Branch of Xinyang Hospital, Taiwan, killed 13 patients. The perpetrator, in the final phase of cancer and upset by his illness, received the death penalty, dying during detention in April 2014.[86]
January 27 – Kiss nightclub fire. A fire in the Kiss nightclub in
Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil, after performers were said to have set off fireworks, killed at least 233.[88][89]
April 17 – West Fertilizer Company explosion. West, Texas explosion, when probable arson started a fire that detonated hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate at a fertilizer plant, killed 15 and injured over 160. Nearby apartment buildings were destroyed and windows seven miles (eleven kilometres) away were broken.
July 6 – Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. An unattended freight train carrying crude oil rolled into Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, and derailed, resulting in an explosion and fire which destroyed more than 30 buildings in the town's centre, killed 42 with five more missing and presumed dead.
September 13 – A fire at a psychiatric hospital in Luka,
Novgorod Oblast, Russia, killed 37.[93]
May 28 – A fire at a hospital in
Jangseong County in South Korea, killed 22 and injured several more.[96]
September 26 – 2014 air traffic control facility fire. Arson at an air traffic control edifice in Aurora, Illinois, United States (also known as the "Chicago Center") caused close to 2000 airline flights to undertake emergency landings.[97]
December 29 – 2014 Lahore shopping centre fire. Fire in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore, Pakistan, killed at least 13.[98]
January 30 – A massive fire at a factory in
Sokolniki District, Moscow, Russia, killed 12.[101]
August 6 – 2016 Rouen fire. A fire at a birthday party at the Cuba Libre pub in
Rouen, France, killed 14.
August 10 – A hospital fire at
Yarmouk Hospital in
Baghdad, Iraq, killed 11 newborn babies and injured 29 women. The fire was set deliberately by eight men in order to cover up their theft of 100 million
Iraqi dinars. They were later arrested.[102] The
Minister of Health of Iraq later resigned due to the incident.[103]
November 2 – A fire at a karaoke lounge in Vietnam, killed 13.[104]
November 9 – 2016 Bethlehem Steel fire at the old cooling house of a former
Bethlehem Steel complex in
Lackawanna, New York, mobilized
Erie County, New York mutual aid from the City of Buffalo as well as suburban volunteer fire companies to assist the Lackawanna Fire Department. A large plume of black smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up by the local
NEXRADweather radar. A minor injury to a Buffalo Firefighter occurred.
July 14 – Marco Polo condo fire. The fire in Honolulu, Hawaii, killed four and injured 13.
September 14 – 2017 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa fire. A fire occurred at the Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At least 24 students and teachers were killed.[108]
December 21 – 2017 Jecheon fire. A gym fire in Jecheon, South Korea, killed 29 and injured 36.[109]
December 23 – 2017 Davao City mall fire, Philippines. A fire erupted in a shopping mall (NCCC Mall Davao) in
Davao City, which killed 38; 37 worked for
Survey Sampling International, and one of the mall's employees who was also a part of the mall's emergency response team.[110]
March 28 – 2018 Valencia, Venezuela fire. Rioting and a fire at a police station in the Venezuelan city of Valencia, in Carabobo State, killed 68.[116]
April 23 – A suspected arson attack at a karaoke lounge in southern China killed 18 and injured five.[117]
June 15 – The
Glasgow School of Art main building, nearing the end of restoration after the fire in 2014, was badly damaged in another fire that destroyed the interior of the adjoining
O2 ABC music venue.[118][119]
January 4 – A fire at an
escape room in
Koszalin,
Poland, killed 5 teenagers. The fire is believed to have been caused by leaking gas cylinders.[121][122]
February 5 – A fire at a building in
Paris,
France, killed 10. It was started by a woman after an altercation with the neighbors, who was later arrested by police.[123]
February 8 – Ninho do Urubu fire. A fire in a dormitory at a soccer youth team training centre in
Flamengo, Brazil, killed 10 teenage players.[124]
February 12 – A fire that broke out at a hotel in
Delhi,
India, killed 17.[125]
Notre-Dame de Paris fire
April 15 – Notre-Dame fire. Roof and spire were destroyed, and heavy damage was done to the interior of the cathedral due to the collapsing spire and roof, along with water and smoke damage. The cathedral was undergoing renovations at the time.
September 12 – A fire started in an electric generator behind the
intensive care unit of a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killed 14 patients due to asphyxiation from smoke or life support equipment shutdown.[127]
September 18 – A fire in a boarding school near
Monrovia, Liberia, killed 27.[128]
4 July – Fire at the historic Police Headquarters, also known as Line Barracks or Casernes Centrales, in
Port Louis, Mauritius; at two separate locations of the compounds of the Special Supporting Unit (SSU) No 4, at a warehouse and then at the office premises.[146]
5 August – Fire at Mountain B night-club in
Pattaya, Thailand, killed 14 people and injured 40.
19 January – A fire at a military barracks in
Azat, Armenia, killed 15 and injured seven.[153]
6 February – A fire in a house in
Charly-sur-Marne, France, killed 8 and injured 1.[154]
3 March –
Plumpang oil depot fire in Indonesia, killed 17 when an oil depot caught on fire and exploded, with the fire spreading to nearby dense residential areas.[155]
^"The First Globe". Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Archived from
the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2014.