12 deadliest U.S. fires
Take a look at the 12 deadliest fires in U.S. history.
Thousands have perished in the deadliest fires in U.S. history, according to rankings compiled by the National Fire Protection Association.
Thousands have perished in the deadliest fires in U.S. history, according to rankings compiled by the National Fire Protection Association.
12. Port Chicago explosion -- An estimated 322 sailors and civilians died in this munitions explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, Calif., in 1944.
11. Hoboken Docks fire -- This blaze sparked by cotton bales catching fire killed at least 326 people in and around the piers in Hoboken, N.J., in 1900.
10. Monongah Mine disaster -- A methane explosion ignited coal dust in this West Virginia mine in 1907, killing 361 workers.
9. Hinckley fire -- Several small fires merged to create a firestorm that burned up to 250,000 acres in and around Hinckley, Minn., in 1894, killing 418 people.
8. Texas City disaster -- The deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history, 468 people died when a fire on board the SS Grandcamp in Texas City, Texas, detonated approximately 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, causing a chain reaction of fires and explosions in 1947.
7. Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire -- The deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, the blaze killed 492 people in Boston in 1942.
6. Cloquet fire -- Sparks from the local railroad caused this massive fire in Cloquet, Minn., that burned 250,000 acres and killed 559 people in 1918.
5. Iroquois Theater fire -- The deadliest theater fire in U.S. history killed 602 people after a light shorted and ignited a muslin curtain at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago in 1903.
4. General Slocum steamship fire -- An estimated 1,021 of the 1,342 people on board this steamship died when it caught fire and sank in New York's East River in 1904.
3. Peshtigo fire -- This 1871 firestorm caused the most deaths by fire in U.S. history, killing more than 1,100 people in Peshtigo, Wis.
2. S.S. Sultana steamboat explosion -- This Mississippi River steamboat paddlewheeler exploded and sank near Memphis, Tenn., in 1865, killing 1,547 people.
1. World Trade Center explosion -- More than 2,600 people perished after two planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, causing intense fires that ultimately led to the Twin Towers' collapse.
