News & Research

Key dates in fire history

The following events were compiled as part of NFPA's centennial in 1996. Property damage figures are rounded and were later updated to reflect estimated 2003 dollars. Events were selected and facts checked by Dr. John R. Hall, Jr. Special thanks to NFPA Life Member Walter Maybee for historical research, particularly prior to 20th century.

January

  1. First practical fire engine is tested, Cincinnati (OH), 1853
  2. Meat processing plant fire kills 16, Terre Haute (IN), 1963
  3. Marlborough Hotel fire kills 19, Minneapolis (MN), 1940
  4. SS Atlantique passenger liner fire kills 18, English Channel, 1933
  5. Texaco gas plant fire, loss worth $51 million, Erath (LA), 1985
  6. Thomas Hotel fire kills 20 San Francisco (CA),1961
  7. Mercy Hospital fire kills 41, Davenport (IA),1950
  8. M/V Erling Jarl passenger ship fire kills 14, Bodo, Norway, 1958
  9. Laurier Palace movie theater fire kills 78, Montreal (QB), 1927
  10. Pathfinder Hotel fire kills 20, Fremont (NE), 1976
  11. Fire damages463 houses, Savannah (GA), 1820
  12. Rhodes Opera House fire kills 170, Boyertown (PA), 1908
  13. Coal mine fire kills 91, Wilburton (OK),1926
  14. USS Enterprise carrier fire kills 24, Pearl Harbor (HI),1969
  15. NFPA launches Fire Journal this month, 1965
  16. McCormack Place hall fire, loss worth $289 million, Chicago (IL), 1967
  17. SS Salem Maritime tanker fire kills 2, Lake Charles (LA), 1956
  18. Sacred Heart College fire kills 46, St. Hyacinthe (PQ), 1938
  19. Dance hall fire kills 31, Taipei, Taiwan, 1966

  20. Phillips refinery fire, loss worth $78 million (2003 dollars), Borger (TX), 1980, Nursing home fire kills 5, Maryville (TN), 2004

  21. Gargantu bar fire kills 13, Montreal (QB), 1975
  22. US Maritime warehouse fire, loss worth $14 million (2003 dollars), Kearny (NJ), 1961
  23. Shell Oil refinery fire, loss worth $49 million (2003 dollars), Roxana (IL), 1985
  24. M. Baer Dress Company factory fire kills 15, New Haven (CT), 1957
  25. Harwick coal mine explosion kills 179, Cheswick (PA), 1904
  26. Victoria Hotel fire kills 13, Dunnville (ON), 1969
  27. Apollo launch pad fire kills 3 and loss worth $413 million, Cape Kennedy, 1967
  28. Challenger spacecraft explosion kills seven, 1986
  29. Coal mine explosion kills 84, Stuart (WV), 1907
  30. Pan American B-707 post-crash fire kills 95, Pago Pago, American Samoa, 1974
  31. Lacoste Babies Home orphanage fire kills 17, Auburn (ME), 1945

February

  1. Joelma office fire kills 179, São Paulo, Brazil, 1974, Power plant (auto manufacturing complex) fire, loss worth $717 million, Dearborn(MI), 1999

  2. Coast to Coast Hardware store fire kills 13, Eagle Grove (IA), 1973
  3. Thiokol Chemical Co. fire kills 29, Woodbine (GA), 1971
  4. Fire Technology begins publication this month, 1965
  5. Banko Paradise Hotel fire kills 30, Tokyo, Japan, 1969
  6. “Black Thursday” forest fires damage 50,000 square miles Australia, 1851
  7. Great Baltimore Fire loss worth $1,019 million, 1904
  8. Loebel’s Restaurant fire kills 89, Berlin, Germany, 1946
  9. USS Lafayette fire, loss worth $598 million, New York (NY), 1942
  10. First fire extinguisher patent issued to Alanson Crane, 1863
  11. Madrid-Barcelona Express train fire kills 34, Zaragoza, Spain, 1965
  12. Knitting factory under apartments fire kills 19, Hong Kong, 1968
  13. First state-level insurance regulatory act passes Massachusetts, 1799
  14. Stardust Cabaret discotheque fire kills 44, Dublin, Ireland, 1981
  15. First US graduate FPE program Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1979
  16. “Ash Wednesday” forest fires kill 76, Australia, 1983
  17. Katie Jane Nursing Home fire kills 72, Warrenton (MO), 1957
  18. Manhattan State Hospital fire kills 25, Ward’s Island (NY), 1923
  19. Spencer Mine explosion kills 7, Pottsville (PA), 1846

  20. First US chartered fire insurance company, Philadelphia (PA), 1768, The Station nightclub fire kills 100, West Warwick (RI), 2003

  21. NY Bronze Powders Co. warehouse, loss worth $210 million (2003 dollars), Elizabeth (NJ), 1985
  22. Madrid Spectacle Frame Company fire kills 24, Madrid, Spain, 1961
  23. One Meridian Plaza fire, loss worth $439 million, Philadelphia (PA), 1991
  24. Gai Sejour home for the aged, fire kills 16, St. Gilles, Belgium, 1965
  25. Oil pipeline explosion kills 508, Cubatão, Brazil, 1984

  26. World Trade Center bombing/fire kills 6 and injures 1,165, New York (NY), 1993, Nursing home fire kills 16, Hartford (CT), 2003

  27. Telephone exchange fire, loss worth $205 million, New York (NY), 1975
  28. First joint stock fire insurance company, Philadelphia (PA), 1810
  29. Army plant under construction, loss worth $17 million, Livonia (MI), 1952

March

  1. Weeks Law authorizes federal-state cooperation in forest fire protection, 1911
  2. US Food and Drug Admin. bans carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers, 1970
  3. Explosion kills 31, filling gasoline cans from leaking truck, Syria, 1962
  4. Lakeview Grammar School fire kills 175, Collinwood (OH), 1908
  5. False alarm leads to confrontations that result in the Boston Massacre, 1770
  6. Psychiatric hospital fire kills 28, Burghoezli, Switzerland, 1971
  7. Harbor dynamite explosion kills 55, Baltimore (MD), 1913, Prison fire kills 133, Higuey, Dominican Republic, 2005
  8. Castle Gate #2 coal mine fire kills 171, Castle Gate (UT), 1924
  9. Missouri Athletic Club & bank bldg. fire kills 37, St. Louis (MO), 1914
  10. Strand Theater fire roof collapse kills 13 firefighters, Brockton (MA), 1941
  11. Ski resort fire kills 31, Numata, Japan, 1966, Multiple train station bombings kill 191, Madrid, Spain, 2004
  12. Chemical plant fire kills 68, Pusan, Korea, 1960
  13. House of Angels orphanage fire kills 14, Seoul, Korea, 1975
  14. Royal Beach home hotel fire kills 19, Chicago (IL), 1981
  15. National Theater fire damages entire block Washington (DC), 1845
  16. Willow Grove #10 coal mine explosion kills 72, St. Clairsville (OH), 1940
  17. First fire prevention legislation passed, Cambridge (MA), 1631
  18. Consolidated school gas explosion kills 294, New London (TX), 1937, Sparky ® the Fire Dog is born, 1951
  19. Insurance groups form committee to design what will be NFPA, New York (NY), 1896
  20. San Bois #2 coal mine explosion kills 73, McCurtin (OK), 1912, Subway Sarin gas attack kills 12 and injures 6,000, Tokyo, Japan, 1995
  21. Conflagration kills 2,018,Hakodate, Japan, 1934
  22. Brown’s Ferry reactor fire, loss worth $342 million (2003 dollars), Decatur (AL), 1975
  23. Caboose Barfire kills 9, Allentown (PA), 1974
  24. Hasaka Prison fire kills 57, Damascus, Syria, 1993
  25. Triangle Shirtwaist fire kills 145, New York, 1911, Happy Land Social Club fire kills 87, New York, 1990
  26. Jed coal mine fire kills 83, Jed (WV), 1912
  27. First steam fire engine’s public test by designer P. Hodge, New York (NY), 1841
  28. Hanna #1 coal mine fire kills 59, Hanna (WY), 1908
  29. First state law banning public use of fireworks passes, Michigan, 1929
  30. Petrobras refinery fire kills 38, Duque de Caxias, Brazil, 1972
  31. Cleveland Hill School fire kills 15, Cheektowaga (NY),1954

April

  1. First salaried fire department established, Cincinnati (OH), 1853
  2. Wayside Inn board and care home fire kills 25, Farmington (MO), 1979
  3. Balmer Northcoal mine explosion kills 15, Natal (BC), 1967
  4. St. Anthony’s Hospital fire kills 74, Effingham (IL), 1949
  5. Cornell dorm fire kills 9, a day before sprinklers were due, Ithaca (NY), 1967
  6. Marting Arms sporting goods store fire kills 41, Richmond (IN), 1968
  7. First US/Japan Fire Research/Safety Panel Gaithersburg (MD), 1976
  8. Banner coal mine explosion kills 128, Littleton (AL),1911
  9. First meeting of National Board of Fire Underwriters,1866
  10. Eddystone Ammunition Company explosion kills 133, Eddystone (PA), 1917
  11. Gulf of Venezuela explosion kills 25, Port Arthur (TX),1926
  12. Fireworks factory fire kills 32, Rawalpindi,Pakistan, 1979
  13. Munitions works explosion kills 45, Lapua, Finland, 1976
  14. Harbor explosion kills 700, Bombay, India, 1944
  15. Museum of Modern Art fire destroys Monet painting, New York (NY), 1958
  16. SS Grandcamp and Monsanto plant explosion kills 468, Texas City (TX), 1947
  17. First municipal law on fire escapes from tenements passes New York (NY), 1860
  18. Earthquake fire kills 315+ and loss worth$7,132 million (2003 dollars), San Francisco (CA), 1906
  19. Princess Irene ship fire kills 20, Rhine River, Germany, 1975, Religious group complex fire kills 47, Waco (TX), 1993, Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing kills 168, Oklahoma City (OK), 1995
  20. Imperial Hotelfire kills 24, Bangkok, Thailand,1971
  21. First firehouse pole installed,New York (NY), 1878, Ohio state penitentiary fire kills 320, Columbus (OH), 1930
  22. Keen Mountain coal mine explosion kills 45, Hanger (VA), 1938
  23. Rhythm Club fire kills 207,Natchez (MS), 1940
  24. First alarm received from first firebox alarm system, Boston (MA), 1851
  25. Antiques exhibition explosion kills 33, Todi, Italy, 1982
  26. Chernobyl nuclear power facility fire kills 31,Ukraine, USSR, 1986
  27. SS Sultana boiler explosion kills 1,547, Mississippi River, 1865
  28. Eccles #5 & #6 coal mine explosion kills 181, Eccles (WV), 1914
  29. Civil disturbance fires, loss worth $743 million (2003 dollars), Los Angeles (CA), 1992
  30. Federal #3 coal mine explosion kills 97, Everetteville (WV),1927

May

  1. Winter Quarters #1 & #4 coal mine explosion kills 200, Scofield (UT), 1900
  2. Sunshine silver mine fire kills 91, Kellogg (ID), 1972
  3. Fireworks factory fire kills 38, Caracas, Venezuela, 1961
  4. National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control publishes America Burning, 1973, Wildland fire loss worth $1,068 million (2003 dollars), Los Alamos (NM), 2000
  5. Petroleum refinery fire, loss worth $513 million (2003 dollars), Norco (LA), 1988
  6. Hindenburg zeppelin fire kills 36 and the zeppelin industry, Lakehurst (NJ), 1937
  7. Fireworks plant fire kills 21, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1991
  8. Armour meat processing plant gas explosion kills 19, St. Joseph (MO), 1930
  9. Catholic church fire kills 21, Santa Cruz Tlapacoya, Mexico, 1983
  10. Kader toy factory fire kills 188, Nakhon Pathom Prov., Thailand, 1993
  11. Soccer stadium fire kills 56, Bradford, England, 1985
  12. Christopher #3 coal mine explosion kills 56, Osage (WV), 1942
  13. Yiba Commercial Center fire kills 33, Ankara, Turkey, 1978
  14. Minerva Film Company fire kills 23, Rome (NY), 1947
  15. Cleveland Clinic fire kills 125, Cleveland (OH), 1929
  16. Terminal Hotel fire kills 35, Atlanta (GA), 1938
  17. Cleveland School fire kills 77, Beulah (SC), 1923, Prison fire kills 103, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 2004
  18. NFPA Standard 19B requires SCBA use during firefighting, 1971
  19. First US patent on an automatic fire alarm system issued, 1857, Coal mine explosion kills 273, Mather (PA), 1928
  20. Amended Wash-Healey Act allows adoption of NFPA standards by reference, 1969
  21. First Society of Fire Protection Engineers chapter is formed, Chicago (IL), 1953
  22. Innovation store fire kills 325, Brussels, Belgium, 1967
  23. All Hallows Church Parish Hall fire kills 17, San Francisco (CA), 1964
  24. Moose Hall fire kills 10, Hamilton (ON), 1944
  25. First ad for a fire insurance agent, Philadelphia (PA), 1721
  26. USS Bennington fire kills 103 off Rhode Island coast, 1954
  27. Carolina coal mine explosion kills 53, Farmville (NC), 1925
  28. Beverly Hills Supper Club fire kills 165, Southgate (KY), 1977
  29. Lone Star Ice Plant fire kills 4, San Antonio (TX), 1985
  30. First rubber-lined cotton web fire hose patented by J. Boyd, Boston (MA), 1821
  31. US Army ammunition plant fire, loss worth $38 million (2003 dollars), Radford (VA), 1974

June

  1. Coal-fueled power plant explosion kills 33, Berlin, Germany, 1948
  2. Air Canada DC-9 in-flight fire kills 23, Cincinnati (OH), 1983
  3. Gas pipeline explosion kills 650, near Ufa, Russia, 1989
  4. North Hungarian Chemical Works fire kills 13, Sajobabony, Hungary, 1979
  5. LaSalle Hotel fire kills 61, Chicago (IL), 1946
  6. K-Mart warehouse fire loss worth $190 million (2003 dollars), Falls Twp (PA), 1982
  7. Ellington Apartments fire kills 13, Cleveland (OH), 1932
  8. Metal mine fire kills 163, Butte (MT), 1917
  9. Night club fire kills 41, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 1977
  10. First forest fire lookout tower staffed Squaw Mountain (ME), 1905
  11. Showa Denko Co. chemical plant fire kills 11, Kawasaki, Japan, 1964
  12. Conflagration damages 70 buildings, Whitewright (TX), 1911
  13. Hercules, Inc. plant fire, loss worth $23 million (2003 dollars), Covington (VA), 1980
  14. Carteret Shopping Center fire loss worth $37 million (2003 dollars), Carteret (NJ), 1974
  15. SS General Slocum steamship fire kills 1,030, New York (NY), 1904.
  16. American Society for Testing and Materials is founded, Philadelphia (PA), 1898
  17. Hotel Vendome fire kills 9 firefighters, Boston (MA), 1972
  18. Kostinbrod Chemical Works fire kills 10 near Sofia, Bulgaria, 1968
  19. Wildfire damages 15,000 acres, near Los Alamos (NM), 1977
  20. Mayaguez Theater fire kills 150, San Juan (PR), 1919
  21. St. John City Detention Center fire kills 21, St. John (BR), 1977
  22. Henderson Department Store fire kills 11, Liverpool, England, 1960
  23. First NFPA Committee on Safety to Life is appointed, 1913
  24. Upstairs Lounge fire kills 32, New Orleans (LA), 1973
  25. Aerlex Corporation fireworks plant fire kills 21, Hallett (OK), 1985
  26. Maury County Jail fire kills 42, Columbia (TN), 1977
  27. Forest fire, loss worth $334 million (2003 dollars), Santa Barbara County (CA), 1990
  28. LP-gas tank car derailment fire kills 23, Meldrim (GA), 1959
  29. Conflagration fire kills 9, Virginia City (NV), 1873
  30. North German Lloyd line steamship fire kills 326, Hoboken (NJ), 1900, Flammable Fabrics Act takes effect, 1954

July

  1. First mechanical water tower built New York (NY), 1879
  2. Semet-Solvay Co. TNT plant fire kills 50, Split Rock (NY), 1918
  3. Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association begins this month, 1907
  4. Elliott Chambers Rooming House fire kills 15, Beverly (MA), 1984
  5. Doxol Gas Co. fire kills 12 firefighters, Kingman (AZ), 1973
  6. Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus tent fire kills 168, Hartford (CT), 1944
  7. Pomona Hotel fire kills 12, Portland (OR), 1975
  8. Excursion boat fire kills 55, Haderslev Park Lake, Jutland, Denmark, 1959
  9. Forest fire kills15 firefighters, Mendocino National Forest (CA), 1953
  10. Rolling Mill coal mine explosion kills 112, Johnstown (PA), 1902
  11. Varig Airlines B-707 in-flight fire kills 123, near Paris, France, 1973
  12. Hotel Coronade Aragon fire kills 74, Zaragoza, Spain, 1979
  13. Civil War draft riot fires, loss worth $21 million(2003 dollars), New York (NY), 1863
  14. Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital fire kills 170, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1960
  15. Sonman coal mine explosion kills 63, Portage (PA), 1940
  16. Fire from gasoline in container on bus kills 14, Seoul, Korea, 1978
  17. Two munitions ships collide and explode, killing 322, Port Chicago (CA), 1944
  18. Ionization detector patented, E. Meili & W. Jaeger, Berne, Switzerland, 1947
  19. LP-gas tank car explosion, loss worth $90 million (2003 dollars), Decatur (IL), 1974
  20. Power plant explosion kills 23, Kokin Breg, Yugoslavia, 1958
  21. USS Bennington gunboat boiler explosion kills 60, San Diego (CA), 1905
  22. Binghamton Clothing Company factory fire kills 35, Binghamton (NY), 1913
  23. Union Oil refinery fire kills 17 & loss worth $177 million (2003 dollars), Romeoville (IL), 1984
  24. Little Sisters of the Poor home for aged fire kills 48, Pittsburgh (PA), 1931
  25. Propane tank trailer explosion kills 10, Berlin (NY), 1962
  26. Americans with Disabilities Act passes, greatly affecting safety codes, 1990
  27. Oldest then-active fireboat, Grattan, destroyed by fire, Buffalo (NY), 1928
  28. Fire after B-25 crash into Empire State Building kills 14, New York (NY), 1945
  29. Shamrock Oil & Gas Corp. refinery fire kills 19 firefighters, Sun Ray (TX), 1956
  30. Reagan Nursing Home fire kills 12, Puxico (MO), 1956
  31. Lake Forest Park Sanitarium fire kills 32, Seattle (WA), 1943

August

  1. Forest fire kills 48northeast of Massif des Aures, Algeria, 1959
  2. Summerland Leisure Centre fire kills 50, Isle of Man, England, 1973
  3. Warehouse fire, loss worth $54 million (2003 dollars),Hamburg, Germany, 1983
  4. Forest fire kills 13 firefighters, Gates of the Mountain (MT), 1949
  5. “Indiana Dunes” tests report, leads to home detector standards this month, 1975
  6. Motorboat fire kills 11, off Basilan Strait, Philippines, 1972
  7. Dynamite trucks explosion kills 1,100,Cali, Columbia, 1956
  8. Coal mine explosion kills 17, Walbrzych,Poland, 1976
  9. Titan II ICBM silo fire kills 53, near Searcy (AR), 1965
  10. Gateway Restaurant fire kills 22, Andover (OH), 1955
  11. First sprinkler head patented by H.S. Parmelee, 1874
  12. Auto parts plant fire, loss worth $220 million (2003 dollars),Livonia (MI), 1953
  13. National Safety Council incorporated by Congress, 1953
  14. Frontier #1 coal mine explosion kills 99,Kemmerer (WY), 1923
  15. In-flight balloon fire kills 5 Barrington (IL),1981
  16. Forest fire kills 25,Transkei Veld, South Africa, 1975
  17. Gulf Oil refinery fire, loss worth $44 million (2003 dollars), Philadelphia (PA), 1975
  18. First Volunteer Fire Fighter Recognition Day is held, 1984
  19. Forest fire kills 230 and damages 256,000 acres, SW France, 1949
  20. Cinema Rex theater fire kills 422,Abadan, Iran, 1978
  21. Liquid propylene tank truck crash explosion kills 12, Martelange, Belgium, 1967
  22. British Airtour B-737 crash fire kills 54,Manchester, England,1985
  23. Warehouse fire kills 10 firefighters, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1959
  24. Washington (DC) seta fire by British troops during War of 1812
  25. Washington House Hotel fire kills 12, BerkeleySprings (WV), 1974
  26. Fireworks factory fire kills 23,Chiaya, Taiwan, 1958
  27. Argonaut gold quartz mine fire kills 47,Jackson (CA), 1922
  28. Conflagration fire destroys 44 buildings and kills 2,Hull (MA), 1923
  29. Fireworks factory fire kills 27,Hong Kong, 1993
  30. Select movie theater fire kills 88,Paris, France, 1947
  31. In Crowd lounge fire kills 13,Gary (IN), 1968

September

  1. Earthquake conflagration kills 142,807, Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, 1923
  2. First reported Learn Not to Burn® PSA saves Jamaica Plain (MA) & Muskegon (MI), 1975
  3. Middle of five-day Great Fire of London, England, 1666,Chicken processing plant fire kills 25, Hamlet (NC), 1991
  4. First fog nozzle is patented, 1894
  5. Hotel Caledonien fire kills 14,Kristiansand,Norway, 1986,Cargo plane in-flight fire, loss worth $463 million (2003 dollars), new Newburgh (NY), 1996, New Royal Theatre fire kills 186, England, 1887
  6. Forest fire kills 25 firefighting soldiers, near Lisbon, Portugal, 1966
  7. Movie theater fire kills 50,Drumcollogher, Ireland, 1926
  8. SS Morro Castle fire kills 135 off New Jersey coast,1934
  9. Island Queen excursion steamer fire kills 23, Pittsburgh (PA), 1947
  10. Powder mill explosion kills 19,Fairchance (PA), 1904
  11. Air France Caravellein-flight fire kills 95,France, 1968,World Trade Center attack kills 2,666, New York (NY), 2001
  12. Hercules Powder Company plant explosion kills 52,Kenvil (NJ), 1940
  13. Ponet Square Hotel fire kills 19,Los Angeles (CA),1970
  14. First use of gooseneck piping for fire engines, Boston (MA), 1815
  15. Fire destroys Pioche (NV)and kills 13, 1871
  16. Protocol to limit world production of Halon is signed, Montreal (PQ), 1987
  17. First sprinkler system patented by P.W. Pratt, 1872
  18. Aircraft hanger fire loss worth $296 million (2003 dollars),Richmond (FL), 1945
  19. Yell of “fire” in church causes 100+ to be trampled to death, Birmingham (AL), 1902
  20. Study Club fire kills 22,Detroit (MI), 1929
  21. Badische Anilin chemical plant fire kills 1,000,Oppau, Germany, 1921
  22. Second SFPE chapter is formed, Los Angeles (CA), 1953
  23. US Army underground fuel tank explosion kills 34, Bitburg, Germany, 1953
  24. Teatro de Novedades theater fire kills 68,Madrid, Spain, 1928
  25. Bun Hiramarubber shoe factory fire kills 14, Kobe, Japan, 1963,Nursing home fire kills 14, Nashville (TN), 2003
  26. Conflagration destroys 386 buildings and kills 13,Bandon (OR), 1936
  27. Gasoline tank car explosion kills 43,Ardmore (OK), 1915
  28. First fireboats arrive in the US, New York (NY), 1800
  29. Shantytown hut fires kill 15, New Delhi, India,1991
  30. Dwelling fire kills 12, Milwaukee (WI), 1987

October

  1. NFPA’s Fire News begins (as NFPA NewsLetter), 1916
  2. First national Fire Prevention Week proclaimed by President Warren Harding, 1922
  3. Brush fire kills 28,Griffith Park, Los Angeles (CA),1933
  4. Forest fire kills 44,northern Ontario,1922
  5. Crystal Palace destroyed by fire, New York (NY), 1858
  6. SC-340, submarine chaser ship is destroyed by fire, off St. John, Virgin Islands, 1923
  7. First Fire Fighters Memorial Sunday is held, 1979
  8. Forest fire kills 1,152 around Peshtigo (WI), 1871,Great Chicago Fire kills 250, loss worth $2,568 million (2003 dollars), Chicago (IL), 1871
  9. First Fire Prevention Day, 1911, marks end of two-day Great Chicago Fire, 1871
  10. Oles Inc. hardware store fire kills 4, South Pasadena (CA),1984
  11. Forest fire kills 22, Minnesota/Ontario border, 1938
  12. Forest fire kills 559, Cloquet (MN),1918
  13. Monsanto chemical plant fire kills 11,La Salle (PQ), 1966
  14. Colliery fire kills 439, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, 1913
  15. US Postal Service HQ fire, loss worth $48 million (2003 dollars),Washington (DC), 1984
  16. USS Leyte carrier explosion kills 39, Boston (MA), 1953
  17. Mercantile building fire kills 12 firefighters,New York (NY), 1966,High-rise building fire kills 6, Chicago (IL), 2003
  18. Alexander Hamilton home hotel fire kills 15,Paterson (NJ), 1984
  19. Geiger nursing home fire kills 15,Honesdale (PA), 1971
  20. International Association of Fire Chiefs founded, Baltimore (MD), 1873,Oakland fire storm kills 25, loss worth $2,024 million (2003 dollars), Oakland (CA), 1991
  21. Care-of-aged facility fire kills 28, Hof, Germany, 1947
  22. Stag Canyon #2 coal mine explosion kills 263,Dawson (NM), 1913
  23. Phillips Petroleum plant fire, loss worth $1,113 million (2003 dollars),Pasadena (TX), 1989
  24. Puerto Rican Social Club fire kills 25, New York (NY), 1976
  25. Metropolitan Store fire kills 10,Windsor (ON), 1960,"Old" wildland fire loss worth $975 million (2003 dollars), San Bernadino (CA), 2003
  26. USS Oriskany carrier flash fire kills 43,Gulf of Tonkin, Viet Nam, 1966
  27. Laguna forest fire, Orange County (CA), 1993
  28. St. John’s Parochial School fire kills 22, Peabody (MA), 1915
  29. Federal Fire Prevention & Control Act of1974 creates US Fire Administration, 1974
  30. Jumbo floating restaurant fire kills 34, Hong Kong, 1971
  31. Society of Fire Protection Engineers is founded, Boston (MA), 1950

November

  1. Dance hall fire kills 145,Grenoble, France,1970
  2. Explosion kills 1,000-3,000,Salang Tunnel, Afghanistan, 1982
  3. Metal mine fire kills 51,Ishpeming (MI), 1926
  4. Forest fire damages 37 homes, Topanga (CA), 1948
  5. Sunday Creek #6 coal mine explosion kills 82, Millfield (OH), 1930
  6. National Fire Protection Association is founded, Boston (MA), 1896
  7. Halifax Poor House fire kills 31,Halifax (NS), 1882
  8. First recorded use is made of a mechanical water tower, New York (NY), 1879
  9. Great Boston Fire, loss worth $1,146 million (2003 dollars),Boston (MA), 1872
  10. USS Mount Hoodmunitions explosion kills 373, Admiralty Islands, 1944
  11. Coats boarding house fire kills 14,Pioneer (OH), 1979
  12. Tinker AFB repair plant fire, loss worth $244 million (2003 dollars),Norman (OK), 1984
  13. National Firemen’s Journal publishes first issue, 1877,St. Paul coal mine explosion kills 259, Cherry (IL), 1909
  14. Hoechst Celanese Chemical fire, loss worth $348 million (2003 dollars), Pampa (TX), 1987
  15. Stratford Apartments home hotel fire kills 25, Los Angeles (CA), 1973
  16. Northwestern Mine explosion kills 31, Ravensdale (WA), 1915
  17. Learn Not to Burn® Foundation is incorporated, Quincy (MA), 1986
  18. Ballantyne Department Store fire kills 41,Christ Church, New Zealand, 1947
  19. Gas storage area explosion kills 334,Mexico City, Mexico,1984
  20. Club Cinq Septfire kills 143, St. Laurent du Pont, France, 1971
  21. MGM Grand Hotel fire kills 85,Las Vegas (NV), 1980
  22. Phillips Dance Hall &Martin’s Grocery, fire kills 25, VillePlatte (LA), 1919
  23. Golden Agenursing home fire kills 63, Fitchville (OH), 1963
  24. Home gas explosions kill 105,Danaciobasi,Turkey, 1980
  25. Taeyokale Hotel fire kills 163,Seoul, Korea, 1971
  26. Pakistani International B-707 in-flight fire kills 156,Saudi Arabia, 1979
  27. Capitol InternationalDC-8 post-crash fire kills 47,Anchorage (AK), 1970
  28. Cocoanut Grove night club fire kills 492,Boston (MA), 1942
  29. Hotel Concorde wedding reception fire kills 11, Margarita Isl., Venezuela, 1987
  30. Boomer #2coal mine explosion kills 23, Boomer (WV), 1915

December

  1. Our Lady of the Angels school fire kills 95, Chicago (IL), 1958
  2. Arcadia Hotel fire kills 28,Boston (MA), 1913
  3. Waterfront fire kills 10,Brooklyn (NY), 1956,Union Carbide plant fire kills 3,800, Bhopal, India, 1984
  4. Stouffer’s Inn conference centerfire kills 26,Harrison (NY), 1980
  5. Brooklyn Theater fire kills 295,Brooklyn (NY), 1876
  6. Monongha Mine coal mine explosion kills 361, Monongha (WV), 1907,Munitions freighter explosion kills 1,654,Halifax (NS), 1917
  7. Winecoff Hotel fire kills 119,Atlanta (GA), 1946
  8. Church of La Companafire kills about 2,000,Santiago, Chile, 1864
  9. State school for mentally retarded fire kills 15, Ellisville (MS), 1978
  10. Overton #2 coal mine explosion kills 53, Irondale (AL), 1925
  11. Quaker Oats factory fire kills 22, Peterborough (ON),1916,Textile mill fire, loss worth $603 milion (2003 dollars), Methuen (MA), 1995
  12. Tent city fire kills 138,Mina, Saudi Arabia,1975
  13. Coal mine explosion kills 20, Stone City (KS),1916
  14. St. Charles Hospiceorphan asylum fire kills 36, Quebec City (PQ), 1927
  15. Koppers Steel plant fire kills 19, Weirton (WV), 1972
  16. Great New York Fire, loss worth $461 million (2003 dollars),New York (NY), 1835
  17. Gran Circus American ofire kills 323,Niteroi, Brazil, 1961
  18. Nursing home fire kills 20, Fountaintown (IN),1964
  19. Coal mine explosion kills 239, Jacobs Creek (PA), 1907,USS Constellation fire, loss worth$297 million (2003 dollars),Brooklyn (NY), 1960
  20. Pioneer Hote lfire kills 28,Tucson (AZ), 1970
  21. Orient #2 coal mine explosion kills 119,West Frankfort (IL),1951
  22. Stockyard cold storage fire kills 21 firefighters, Chicago (IL), 1910
  23. Sumner coal mine explosion kills 19, Sumner (PA), 1899
  24. Babbs Switch School fire kills 36,Hobart (OK), 1924
  25. Gambling hall fire kills 15,Dresslerville (NV),1947
  26. Richmond Theater fire kills 7 0including governor, Richmond (VA), 1811
  27. Mine explosion kills 431,Chasnala, India, 1975
  28. Oil tank truck/trainpost-collision fire kills 13,Everett (MA), 1966
  29. Lick Branchcoal mine explosion kills 50,Switchback (WV), 1908
  30. Iroquois Theaterfire kills 602, Chicago (IL), 1903,Nightclub fire kills 188, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
  31. Dupont Plaza Hotelfire kills 97, San Juan (PR), 1986