10 Worst Fires in U.S. History

1. S.S. Sultana Steamship Boiler Explosion

Just a few days after the end of the Civil War, in April of 1865, a 260-foot-long wooden steamboat called the Sultana caught fire as it sailed along the Mississippi River. The fire was linked to issues with the boiler, which had recently been repaired. The ship was only supposed to carry 376 passengers, but was carrying more than 2,000 Union troops. The overcrowded vessel led to the overburdened boiler exploding and setting fire to the ship. An estimated 1,500  people were killed either from the initial explosion, drowning while trying to swim to shore or later from burns sustained in the incident. It remains the deadliest fire and the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.^[3]

2. The Sinking of the General Slocum

The second most deadly fire in U.S. history was also caused by a fire aboard a boat. Boats, sadly, are very difficult to escape in the event of a fire. This disaster occurred in June of 1904 when 1,331 people boarded an excursion ship, the General Slocum, to go to a picnic on Long Island. As the boat sailed through the East River alongside Manhattan, a small fire started in the ship’s hold. The specific cause is unknown, but it was suspected to be a carelessly tossed match in some hay. The fire quickly became a huge blaze. As people jumped from the ship to escape the fire, the tragedy was made worse by life jackets that had been filled not with cork (as was common at the time) but with iron bars. Many of those who used the life jackets drowned. All told, 924 perished that day.^[4]

3. San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

Two devastating disasters in one occurred in April of 1906 when a devastating earthquake led to fires breaking out in the city of San Francisco. At this time, the city of San Francisco was the ninth-largest city in the U.S., and over 80% of the city was destroyed by this disaster. While the earthquake was damaging, the fires that burned through the city were far more destructive, destroying 25,000 buildings. Initially, the event was thought to have 700 fatalities, but modern historians put the number closer to 3,000. The event is not only one of the deadliest fire events, but the deadliest earthquake in U.S. history.^[5]

4. The Iroquois Theater

The deadliest single building fire in U.S history occurred in 1903 at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago. The theater had only been opened the month before and to great acclaim. The theater was packed for a performance of a musical when a lighting effect ignited a curtain. Stagehands tried to put out the fire, but it quickly spread out of control and lit up the scenery. The audience initially thought this was part of the play, but soon panic set in. A design flaw in the theater meant many people had to exit through the same grand stairway all at once and some exits had been sealed off to prevent people sneaking into the show. In all 602 people lost their lives trying to escape the building.^[6]

5. Cocoanut Grove Night Club

The popular Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston was the site of another devastating fire in November of 1942. The fire started when an employee of the nightclub tried to change a lightbulb at the top of an artificial palm in the basement lounge area. He lit a match to see what he was doing, which led to the palm tree catching fire. The fire spread quickly and moved upstairs. Customers tried to exit, but the main exit was a set of revolving doors that quickly became jammed as panicked people tried to get through them. More than 1,000 people were estimated to have been at the nightclub that night, and 492 lost their lives trying to escape the fire.^[7]

6. 1900 Hoboken Docks Fire

On June 30, 1900, a fire broke out in some cotton bales stored by the North German Lloyd Line Steamship Company in Hoboken, New Jersey. Stored nearby, some barrels of oil and turpentine fed the fire, leading it to cover an area a quarter mile long in a matter of minutes. The flames covered not only an area of the piers, but also set fire to four ocean liners. By the time the fire was under control, 400 people had been killed. Some were the workers on the docks and others were aboard the docked ships.^[8]

7. Ohio Penitentiary Fire

In April of 1930, a fire broke out from a candle at the Ohio Penitentiary when prisoners were repairing a section of wooden roof. The prison had been built to house 1,500 inmates, but there were 4,300 held there at the time of the fire. The cell block nearest the fire had 800 prisoners, and guards refused to let them out of their cells when the fire started, fearing a mass prison break. The roof caved in, and ultimately, 322 people were killed before the fire could be contained. Investigations took place after the tragic event, which was condemned by the public as entirely preventable.^[9]

8. Great Chicago Fire

In October of 1871, a fire was started when a lantern ignited some hay in a barn and spread through the city of Chicago. For more than 24 hours, flames spread through the city, destroying 17,500 buildings, 73 miles of streets, and leaving one-third of the city’s population homeless. Eventually, rain helped to put out the conflagration. 300 people are thought to have lost their lives in the fires. After the fire, new laws were passed to make sure buildings were built with fireproof materials.^[10]

9. Conway’s Theater

Eerily similar to the Iroquois Theater event that would happen nearly 30 years later, in 1876, a fire occurred in the crowded Conway’s Theater in Brooklyn. During the final act of a play, a piece of scenery caught on fire backstage. The curtain went up as workers desperately tried to put out the fire. The actors continued with the performance until the fire spread to the rigging above the stage, and things began to fall on them. As with the Iroquois Theater, by the time people realized the effects were not part of the play, the flames were raging, and not everyone was able to get out safely. At least 278 people lost their ^lives.[11]

10. Rhythm Club

In April 1940, a devastating fire occurred at the Rhythm Club, a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi. The club was a long, narrow, metal building and the windows had been boarded up to prevent people from watching the shows for free. The club was decorated with Spanish moss, which hung from the ceiling and was sprayed with a flammable insecticide. When a fire broke out, it quickly spread through the Spanish moss, and the building’s construction left nowhere for heat to escape. Of the 700 people there that night, many were able to escape through the front door, which was the sole exit, but around 200 people were unable to get out in time and sadly perished.^[12]

Fire Safety in Your Home

Fire safety and fire management have come a long way over the course of U.S. history. It’s worth noting that all the events on this list occurred before 1950. We now have stronger fire safety laws and requirements both for building materials and necessary exits. These are to prevent events like the above, where too many people were trapped in places with limited exits.

However, there was still some good lessons to be learned from large-scale building fires that you can apply to your home safety planning as well:

• Fire extinguishers. Fires can spread quickly, and putting out a small fire before it becomes a big fire can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and the total loss of your home. It’s important to have multipurpose ABC dry-chemical fire extinguishers in easy reach and inspect them regularly. 
• Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Smoke alarms can give you critical time to escape a fire. Additionally, carbon monoxide from smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in a fire. Make sure you have alarms outside all sleeping areas and on every level of your home, and test them regularly.
• Escape plans. As seen in the fires above, much of the loss of life was from panicked people not being able to access exits quickly. Make sure all family members know the fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year. 
• Home insurance. Know your policy, so you’re ready after a fire event. Make sure the replacement value of your home is up to date. It won’t help you during the actual fire, but it can lead to far fewer headaches in the aftermath.