List of the deadliest firefighter disasters in the United States

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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.

Contents

List

RankEventDateFirefighter FatalitiesCoordinatesReference
1 September 11 attacks September 11, 2001340 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, 191078 [N 1] 47°25′34″N116°6′13″W / 47.42611°N 116.10361°W / 47.42611; -116.10361 [1] [3]
3 Texas City disaster April 16, 194727 29°22′39″N94°53′29″W / 29.37750°N 94.89139°W / 29.37750; -94.89139 [4] [2]
4 Chicago Union Stock Yards fire (1910) December 22, 191021 41°49′8.31″N87°39′40.08″W / 41.8189750°N 87.6611333°W / 41.8189750; -87.6611333 [4] [2]
6 McKee refinery fire July 29, 195619 35°57′21.28″N101°53′11.49″W / 35.9559111°N 101.8865250°W / 35.9559111; -101.8865250 [4] [2]
Yarnell Hill Fire June 30, 201319 34°14′47.84″N112°45′20.94″W / 34.2466222°N 112.7558167°W / 34.2466222; -112.7558167 [2]
8 Blackwater fire of 1937 August 21, 193715 44°24′43″N109°44′30″W / 44.41194°N 109.74167°W / 44.41194; -109.74167 [5]
Rattlesnake Fire July 9, 195315 39°39′19.05″N122°38′9.67″W / 39.6552917°N 122.6360194°W / 39.6552917; -122.6360194 [4] [2]
10 South Canyon Fire July 6, 199414 39°34′26.48″N107°25′36.82″W / 39.5740222°N 107.4268944°W / 39.5740222; -107.4268944 [4] [2]
11 Strand Theatre fire (Brockton, Massachusetts)March 10, 194113 42°4′58.40″N71°1′9.58″W / 42.0828889°N 71.0193278°W / 42.0828889; -71.0193278 [4] [2]
Mann Gulch fire August 4, 194913 46°52′46.56″N111°54′17.64″W / 46.8796000°N 111.9049000°W / 46.8796000; -111.9049000 [4] [2]
Friedlander Leather Remnants Factory fireDecember 21, 191013 39°58′5.50″N75°8′29.35″W / 39.9681944°N 75.1414861°W / 39.9681944; -75.1414861 [4]
Bowen-Merrill Bookstore FireMarch 17, 189013 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, 197312 35°12′54.10″N114°1′48.95″W / 35.2150278°N 114.0302639°W / 35.2150278; -114.0302639 [4]
23rd Street Fire October 17, 196612 40°44′27.39″N73°59′20.01″W / 40.7409417°N 73.9888917°W / 40.7409417; -73.9888917 [4]
Loop Fire Disaster November 1, 196612 34°20′05″N118°23′47″W / 34.33472°N 118.39639°W / 34.33472; -118.39639 [N 2] [7]
18Inaja FireNovember 25, 195611 33°5′54″N116°39′50″W / 33.09833°N 116.66389°W / 33.09833; -116.66389 [8]
W. T. Jennings FireApril 25, 185411 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, 201310 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, 20079 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, 19729 42°21′4.55″N71°4′43.09″W / 42.3512639°N 71.0786361°W / 42.3512639; -71.0786361 [4] [2]
Collins Block Fire (Syracuse, New York)February 3, 19399 43°3′4.79″N76°9′12.92″W / 43.0513306°N 76.1535889°W / 43.0513306; -76.1535889 [13]
24 Great Boston Fire of 1872 November 9, 18728 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, 19758 39°54′7″N75°12′17″W / 39.90194°N 75.20472°W / 39.90194; -75.20472 [14]
Jackson Pyrotechnic Explosion (Chester, Pennsylvania)February 17, 18828 39°50′46″N75°21′24″W / 39.84611°N 75.35667°W / 39.84611; -75.35667 [15]
27Woolworth Fire- Charleston WVMarch 4, 1949738°20'.970"N 81°38'.139' W
28 Waldbaum's supermarket fire August 2, 19786 40°35′33.93″N73°57′0.48″W / 40.5927583°N 73.9501333°W / 40.5927583; -73.9501333 [16]
28Queens soap plant fireOctober 26, 19626 40°43′39″N73°55′24″W / 40.72740°N 73.92338°W / 40.72740; -73.92338 [17] [18]
28Kansas City ammonium nitrate explosionNovember 29, 19886 39°50′47.98″N94°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, 19996 42°15′36.23″N71°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. 1 2 3 "Deadliest incidents resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters". National Fire Protection Association.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "The Worst Firefighter Tragedies: Where Deadly Ariz. Blaze Ranks". NBC 10 Philadelphia. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  3. Inferno "Inferno > English > Historical Fires > 1910 Fire Season". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "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. "Gulf Oil Refinery- Philadelphia, Pa. 30 Years Ago. Tragic Fire Revisited". Firehouse. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  15. "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 17, 1882" "Chester Daily Times, Chester PA, Feb 19, 1912"
  16. Spak, Steve. ""The Waldbaum's Fire and Tragedy"".
  17. "Queens Auto Shop Memorializing Tragic Fire At Location". CBS News. October 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  18. 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.
  19. "Six Kansas City firefighters killed in 1988 explosion". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 18 October 2017.

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