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 | 340 | 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] | |
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 | [14] | |
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 | [15] | |
27 | Woolworth Fire- Charleston WV | March 4, 1949 | 7 | 38°20'.970"N 81°38'.139' W | |
28 | 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 | [16] |
28 | 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 | [17][18] |
28 | Kansas City ammonium nitrate 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 | [19] |
28 | 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
- ^ Another source says that there were 86 deaths, but this seems to count almost all of the civilians as well.[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
- ^ a b c "Deadliest incidents resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters". National Fire Protection Association.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Worst Firefighter Tragedies: Where Deadly Ariz. Blaze Ranks". NBC 10 Philadelphia. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Inferno "Inferno > English > Historical Fires > 1910 Fire Season". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "FOX Facts: Deadliest Firefighter Disasters". Fox News. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Staff Ride to the Blackwater Fire". Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- ^ "Memorial Monday - Bowen-Merrill Bookstore Fire (Indianapolis, IN)". 29 March 2021.
- ^ 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 16 May 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ "America's Most Devastating Wildfires | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
- ^ "Jennings Building Fire and Collapse". New York City Fire Museum. April 25, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Memorial held for firefighters killed in West Texas Fertilizer Company explosion". 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Remembering the Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire Six Years Later". International Association of Fire Fighters. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Syracuse Post Standard, Syracuse NY, Jan 31, 2015" "Rochester Democrat Chronicle, Rochester NY, Feb 4, 1939"
- ^ "Gulf Oil Refinery- Philadelphia, Pa. 30 Years Ago. Tragic Fire Revisited". Firehouse. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ^ "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 17, 1882" "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 19, 1912"
- ^ Spak, Steve. ""The Waldbaum's Fire and Tragedy"".
- ^ "Queens Auto Shop Memorializing Tragic Fire At Location". CBS News. October 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Six Kansas City firefighters killed in 1988 explosion". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 18 October 2017.