Deadliest incidents in the U.S. resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters
| Date |
# of fatalities |
Occupancy |
Location |
| 9/11/2001 |
340 * |
World Trade Center |
New York City, NY |
| 8/20/1910 |
78** |
Wildland fire (Devil's Broom) |
Silverton, ID |
| 10/3/1933 |
29 |
Wildland fire (Griffith Park) |
Los Angeles, CA |
| 4/16-17/1947 |
27 |
Ship explosion |
Texas City, TX |
| 12/22/1910 |
21 |
Meat packing plant |
Chicago, IL |
| 2/17/1882 |
19 |
Fireworks plant |
Chester, PA |
| 7/19/1956 |
19 |
Refinery |
Dumas, TX |
| 6/30/2013 |
19 |
Wildland fire (Yarnell Hill) |
Yarnell, AZ |
| 7/9/1953 |
15 |
Wildland fire (Rattlesnake Fire) |
Mendocino, NF, CA |
| 8/21/1937 |
15 |
Wildland fire (Blackwater Fire) |
Shoshone NF, WY |
| 7/6/1994 |
14 |
Wildland fire (South Canyon) |
Glenwood Springs, CO |
| 3/17/1890 |
13 |
Store |
Indianapolis, IN |
| 12/21/1910 |
13 |
Leather manufacturer |
Philadelphia, PA |
| 3/10/1941 |
13 |
Theater fire |
Brockton, MA |
| 8/5/1949 |
13 |
Wildland fire (Mann Gulch) |
Helena, MT |
| 7/10/1893 |
12 |
Cold storage warehouse (Columbian Exposition) |
Chicago, IL |
| 9/5/1896 |
12 |
Theater |
Benton Harbor, MI |
| 10/17/1966 |
12 |
Multiple mercantile |
New York City, NY |
| 11/1/1966 |
12 |
Wildland fire (Loop Fire) |
Angeles NF, CA |
| 7/5/1973 |
12 |
Railroad tankers |
Kingman, AZ |
| 10/1/1943 |
11 |
Wildland fire (Hauser Canyon Fire) |
Cleveland NF, CA |
| 11/24/1956 |
11 |
Wildland fire (Inaja Fire) |
Cleveland NF, CA |
| 10/19/1857 |
10 |
Stores and warehouses |
Chicago, IL |
| 10/28/1954 |
10 |
Chemical plant |
Philadelphia, PA |
| 7/23/1984 |
10 |
Oil refinery |
Romeoville, IL |
| 6/19/1867 |
9 |
Theater |
Philadelphia, PA |
| 11/9/1872 |
9 |
The Great Boston Fire |
Boston, MA |
| 4/9/1894 |
9 |
Theater |
Milwaukee, WI |
| 2/3/1939 |
9 |
Restaurant |
Syracuse, NY |
| 1/17/1950 |
9 |
Construction site |
Colorado Springs, CO |
| 1/28/1961 |
9 |
Cold storage warehouse |
Chicago, IL |
| 6/17/1972 |
9 |
Building under renovation |
Boston, MA |
| 6/18/2007 |
9 |
Furniture store/warehouse |
Charleston, SC |
| 8/5/2008 |
9 |
Wildfire fire (Buckhorn) helicopter crash |
Near Weaverville, CA |
| 4/17/2013 |
9 |
Fertilizer plant |
West, TX |
| 7/9/1850 |
8 |
Wharf fire/conflagration |
Philadelphia, PA |
| 10/26/1913 |
8 |
Rubber products manufacturer |
Milwaukee, WI |
| 4/18/1924 |
8 |
Leather product storage |
Chicago, IL |
| 8/1/1932 |
8 |
Hotel |
New York City, NY |
| 7/9/1943 |
8 |
Mixed commercial |
Chicago, IL |
| 8/17/1975 |
8 |
Oil refinery |
Philadelphia, PA |
| 8/24/2003 |
8 |
Returning from wildland fire |
Roseburg, OR |
Disclaimer: Death tolls are based on information in NFPA’s records. Please contact us at osds@nfpa.org to provide any updated information.
* On 9/11/2001, 343 employees of the FDNY were killed: 340 firefighters, two paramedics and a chaplain. For the purposes of its annual Firefighter Fatality report, NFPA contains the count of only firefighters.
** Previously reported as 86 deaths, which was the total number of fire deaths. There were 78 firefighter deaths and nine civilian deaths.
Updated: 6/16