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″N74°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″N116°6′13″W / 47.42611°N 116.10361°W / 47.42611; -116.10361	[1] [2]
3	Texas City disaster	April 16, 1947	27	29°22′39″N94°53′29″W / 29.37750°N 94.89139°W / 29.37750; -94.89139	[3] [4]
4	Chicago Union Stock Yards fire (1910)	December 22, 1910	21	41°49′8.31″N87°39′40.08″W / 41.8189750°N 87.6611333°W / 41.8189750; -87.6611333	[3] [4]
6	McKee refinery fire	July 29, 1956	19	35°57′21.28″N101°53′11.49″W / 35.9559111°N 101.8865250°W / 35.9559111; -101.8865250	[3] [4]
	Yarnell Hill Fire	June 30, 2013	19	34°14′47.84″N112°45′20.94″W / 34.2466222°N 112.7558167°W / 34.2466222; -112.7558167	[4]
8	Blackwater fire of 1937	August 21, 1937	15	44°24′43″N109°44′30″W / 44.41194°N 109.74167°W / 44.41194; -109.74167	[5]
	Rattlesnake Fire	July 9, 1953	15	39°39′19.05″N122°38′9.67″W / 39.6552917°N 122.6360194°W / 39.6552917; -122.6360194	[3] [4]
10	South Canyon Fire	July 6, 1994	14	39°34′26.48″N107°25′36.82″W / 39.5740222°N 107.4268944°W / 39.5740222; -107.4268944	[3] [4]
11	Strand Theatre fire (Brockton, Massachusetts)	March 10, 1941	13	42°4′58.40″N71°1′9.58″W / 42.0828889°N 71.0193278°W / 42.0828889; -71.0193278	[3] [4]
	Mann Gulch fire	August 4, 1949	13	46°52′46.56″N111°54′17.64″W / 46.8796000°N 111.9049000°W / 46.8796000; -111.9049000	[3] [4]
	Friedlander Leather Remnants Factory fire	December 21, 1910	13	39°58′5.50″N75°8′29.35″W / 39.9681944°N 75.1414861°W / 39.9681944; -75.1414861	[3]
	Bowen-Merrill Bookstore Fire	March 17, 1890	13	39°46′02.7″N86°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″N114°1′48.95″W / 35.2150278°N 114.0302639°W / 35.2150278; -114.0302639	[3]
	23rd Street Fire	October 17, 1966	12	40°44′27.39″N73°59′20.01″W / 40.7409417°N 73.9888917°W / 40.7409417; -73.9888917	[3]
	Loop Fire Disaster	November 1, 1966	12	34°20′05″N118°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″N116°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″N74°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″N97°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″N73°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″N71°4′43.09″W / 42.3512639°N 71.0786361°W / 42.3512639; -71.0786361	[3] [4]
	Collins Block Fire (Syracuse, New York)	February 3, 1939	9	43°3′4.79″N76°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″N71°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″N75°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″N75°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″N81°38′06.1″W / 38.350000°N 81.635028°W / 38.350000; -81.635028	[ citation needed ]
29	Waldbaum's supermarket fire	August 2, 1978	6	40°35′33.93″N73°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″N73°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″N94°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″N71°47′34.17″W / 42.2600639°N 71.7928250°W / 42.2600639; -71.7928250	[3]

Notes

Footnotes

1. Another source says that there were 86 deaths, but this seems to count almost all of the civilians as well.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'
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. "Deadliest incidents resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters". National Fire Protection Association.
2. Inferno "Inferno > English > Historical Fires > 1910 Fire Season". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
3. "FOX Facts: Deadliest Firefighter Disasters". Fox News . 19 June 2007. Retrieved 1 July 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)". 29 March 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 16 May 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
8. "America's Most Devastating Wildfires | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
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". 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
12. "Remembering the Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire Six Years Later". International Association of Fire Fighters. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 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 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
15. "Iron 44 Helicopter Crash Fatalities 2008". www.lessons.wildfire.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
16. "Gulf Oil Refinery- Philadelphia, Pa. 30 Years Ago. Tragic Fire Revisited". Firehouse. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
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 18 October 2017.