Fires and Explosions Worst U.S. Forest Fires Whether you're talking about forest fires or kitchen fires, factory explosions or arson, when fires get out of control, the damage can be devastating. 1666 Sept. 2, England:“Great Fire of London” destroyed much of the city, including St. Paul's Cathedral. Damage £10 million. 1835 Dec. 16, New York City:530 buildings destroyed by fire. 1871 Oct. 8, Chicago:the “Chicago Fire” burned 17,450 buildings and killed 250 people; $196 million in damage. 1872 Nov. 9, Boston:fire destroyed 800 buildings; $75 million in damage. 1876 Dec. 5, New York City:fire in Brooklyn Theater killed more than 300. 1881 Dec. 8, Vienna:at least 620 died in fire at Ring Theatre. 1900 May 1, Scofield, Utah:explosion of blasting powder in coal mine killed 200. 1900 June 30, Hoboken, N.J.:piers of North German Lloyd Steamship line burned; 326 dead. 1903 Dec. 30, Chicago:Iroquois Theatre fire killed 602. 1904 Feb. 7, Baltimore, Md.:blaze spread through downtown Baltimore. More than 1,500 buildings were destroyed. Damages $150 million, but no lives lost June 15, New York City, NY:the steamship ferryGeneral Slocumignited on a voyage to Long Island; over 1,000 dead. 1906 March 10, France:explosion in coal mine in Courrières killed 1,060. 1907 Dec. 6, Monongah, W. Va.:coal mine explosion killed 362. Dec. 19, Jacobs Creek, Pa.:explosion in coal mine left 239 dead. 1908 Jan. 13, Boyertown, Pa.:fire in Rhoads Opera House killed 170 people who were attending church-sponsored stage performance. March 4, Collinwood, Ohio:fire in Collinwood school killed 176. Led to revision of fire codes for schools. 1909 Nov. 13, Cherry, Ill.:explosion in coal mine killed 259. 1911 March 25, New York City:fire in Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fatal to 145. 1913 Oct. 22, Dawson, N.M.:coal mine explosion left 263 dead. 1917 April 10, Eddystone, Pa.:explosion in munitions plant killed 133. 1917 Dec. 6, Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia:Belgian steamer collided with ammunition shipMont Blanc, which was carrying over 2,500 tons of explosives. Explosion leveled part of Halifaxand left about 1,600 people dead. 1921 Sept. 21, Oppau, Germany:ammonium nitrate exploded destroying the BASF plant and nearby houses, killing 430 people. 1923 May 17, Beulah, S.C.:fire started by a candle during a Cleveland school play killed 77. 1928 May 19, Mather, Pa.:coal mine explosion left 195 dead. 1930 April 21, Columbus, Ohio:fire in Ohio State Penitentiary killed 320 convicts. 1937 March 18, New London, Tex.:explosion de-stroyed schoolhouse; 294 killed. 1940 April 23, Natchez, Mississippi:209 die when a packed dance hall erupts in flames during a performance by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians Orchestra. The blaze is fueled by decorative Spanish moss covering the building's rafters, which generated flammable methane gas once burned. Among those to perish were Barnes and nine members of his band. 1942 April 26, Manchuria:explosion in Honkeiko Colliery killed 1,549. Nov. 28, Boston, Mass.:Coconut Grove nightclub fire killed 491. 1944 July 6, Hartford, Conn.:fire and ensuing stampede in main tent of Ringling Brothers Circus killed 168 and injured 487. July 17, Port Chicago, Calif.:322 killed when ammunition ships exploded. Oct. 20, Cleveland:spilled liquid natural gas exploded, killing 130. 1946 Dec. 7, Atlanta:fire in Winecoff Hotel killed 119. 1947 April 16–18, Texas City, Tex.:most of the city destroyed by a fire and subsequent explosion on the French freighterGrandcamp, which was carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate. At least 516 were killed and over 3,000 injured. 1949 Sept. 2, China:fire on Chongqing(Chungking) waterfront killed 1,700. 1954 May 26, off Quonset Point, R.I.:explosion and fire on aircraft carrierBenningtonkilled 103. 1956 Aug. 7, Colombia:seven army ammunition trucks exploded at Cali, killing about 1,100. Aug. 8, Belgium:262 died in coal mine fire at Marcinelle. 1958 Dec. 1, Chicago:fire at Our Lady of Angels, a Roman Catholic grade school, resulted in deaths of 90 students and 3 nuns. 1960 Jan. 21, Coalbrook, South Africa:coal mine explosion killed 437. Nov. 13, Syria:152 children killed in moviehouse fire. 1961 Dec. 17, Niteroi, Brazil:circus fire fatal to 323. 1962 Feb. 7, Saarland, West Germany:coal mine gas explosion killed 298. 1963 Nov. 9, Japan:explosion in coal mine at Omuta killed 447. 1965 May 28, India:coal mine fire in state of Biharkilled 375. June 1, nr. Fukuoka, Japan:coal mine explosion killed 236. 1967 May 22, Brussels, Belgium:fire in L'Innovation department store left 322 dead. July 29, off North Vietnam:fire on U.S. carrierForrestalkilled 134. 1969 Jan. 14, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii:nuclear aircraft carrierEnterpriseripped by explosions; 27 dead, 82 injured. 1970 Nov. 1, Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France:fire in dance hall killed 146 young people. 1972 May 13, Osaka, Japan:118 people died in fire in nightclub on top floor of Sennichi department store.