List of building or structure fires

This is a list of building or structure fires where a building or structure has caught fire. For major urban conflagrations, see List of town and city fires.

__NOTOC__ Notable building or structure fires Pre-1500s 1500s 1600s 1700s 1800s 1900s 1910s: 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s: 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s: 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s: 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020s: 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 References

Antiquity through Middle Ages 586 BCFirst Temple in Jerusalem burned by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. 480 BCAcropolis of Athens burnt during the second Persian invasion of Greece. 356 BCTemple of Artemis at Ephesus, arson by Herostratus. 70 ADSecond Temple in Jerusalem burned by Roman Empire troops under general Titus. Library of Alexandria destroyed by fire. Evidence is scant for all four fires, but the library was eventually destroyed. 48 BCLibrary of Alexandria accidentally burned during siege by Julius Caesar. 272Library of Alexandria possibly burned during the occupation of Alexandria. 391Library of Alexandria possibly burned by order of Roman Emperor Theodosius I. 642Later sources attribute burning to Caliph Omar during the Muslim conquest of Egypt. 192 ADFire of Rome (192). 1046Fire at St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim, Germany. 1184Lightning causes a fire at McDermott's Castle, Ireland, with 120–140 deaths.https://www.ucc.ie/en/online/T100010A/text007.html 1190Fire at Clifford's Tower, York, England, killed at least 150 Jews.

16th century 1577Fire in the Doge's Palace, Venice, destroyed major works by Bellini, Titian and Tintoretto.

17th century 1613Globe Theatre in London. During the performance, cannon misfire caught the thatched roof on fire and the Theatre burned down. 1652Town hall of Amsterdam burnt down. Treasures and important historical charters were destroyed. 1671Much of the monastery of the Escorial outside Madrid burned in a fire lasting 15 days, destroying large numbers of artworks, books and manuscripts. 1697The medieval "Tre Kronor" Royal Castle in Stockholm burned down and was eventually replaced by the present palace. 1698The Tudor and Stuart Palace of Whitehall, London burned, except for Inigo Jones's Banqueting House. The ruins were demolished.

18th century 1727Fire during puppet show in barn at Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England, killed 78 (including 51 children). 1731, Brussels, destroyed and never rebuilt. 1734The Royal Palace of the Alcazar, Madrid, Spain burned on Christmas Eve. Eventually replaced by the present royal palace. 1772Hôtel-Dieu de Paris fire in Paris, France. 1794Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark.

19th century 1808Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. The fire caused the dome of the Rotunda to collapse, smashing the Edicule's exterior decoration. 1808First Royal Opera House fire in London, England. 1809St. James's Palace, London, England. Much of the south and east portions of the palace were destroyed and not rebuilt. 1810Austrian embassy fire (fr), Paris, France. Officially 1 dead, in reality at least 91. 1811Richmond Theatre fire, Richmond, Virginia. 72 dead. 1814The White House and United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. burned by the British. 1822Grue Church fire, Norway, 113–117 dead. 1823Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy.

1834Burning of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster, home to Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1836First U.S. Patent Office fire in Blodget's Hotel. 1836Fire at Chartres Cathedral destroyed the sweet chestnut "forest" above the vaults. 1837The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia destroyed except for The Hermitage. 1844Separate fires at St. Michael's & St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Churches during the Philadelphia nativist riots, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1845Theatre fire in Canton, China. 1,670 killed. 1856Second Royal Opera House fire in London, England. 1863Church of the Company Fire in Santiago, Chile; killed over 2,500. 1864Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands, destroyed 198 Dutch Old Master paintings. 1870Château de Saint-Cloud destroyed by fire, 13 October 1870. 1870Wickford Bank Fire, Rhode Island, destroyed 160 years of town records kept in bank vault (records for what are multiple towns today such as Narragansett, North Kingstown, etc.). 1873 – Gyeongbokgung major fire. 1874Olympic Theatre destroyed by fire, killing two firefighters. Suspected arson. 1875Precious Blood Church fire in Holyoke, Massachusetts, burned and killed 78. 1876Brooklyn Theater fire, Brooklyn, New York, killed 273–300. 1876 – Gyeongbokgung major fire that destroyed much of the palace. 1877Second U.S. Patent Office fire, in Washington, D.C. 1881Fire of the National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic (Austria-Hungary), brand-new building partially burned down during finishing of constructional works, no victims. 1881Ringtheater fire, Vienna, Austria (Austria-Hungary), killed at least 384. 1883Newhall House Hotel Fire, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 10 January, killed at least 70. 1884Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen. 1887Paris Opéra Fire on 25 May, killed 200. 1887Exeter Theatre Royal fire, Exeter, England on 5 September, killed 186. 1893World's Columbian Exposition cold storage warehouse fire in Chicago, Illinois on 10 July, killed 18. 1894Christmas Eve fire in Silver Lake, Oregon, on 24 December, killed 43 people including 19 women and children. 1895The Rotunda, University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Virginia. 1897Fire at the Bazar de la Charité, Paris, France on 4 May, killed 126, mostly women. 1899Windsor Hotel fire East 47th Street/5th Avenue Manhattan, New York, killed 33–45.

20th century 1900s 1900Hoboken Docks fire, Hoboken, New Jersey, on 30 June, killed 326. 1903Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum fire, London, England on 27 January, killed 51. 1903Iroquois Theater fire, Chicago, Illinois, on 30 December, at least 600 killed. 1904January fire in the Turin National University Library, Turin, Italy, resulted in serious damage to the Manuscripts Department. 1904Sibley fire, in Rochester, New York, on 26 February. 1904Great Fire of Toronto, 19 April fire that destroyed a large section of Downtown Toronto, Canada. 1905Watson Street Lodging House fire in Glasgow, Scotland on 19 November, killed 39. 1908Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. 1908Parker Building, New York City, 10 January. 1908Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland), on 4 March, killed 175. 1909Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on 15 February, killed 250.

1910s 1910 25 MarchL. Fish Furniture Company fire in Chicago, Illinois, killed 12. 27 MarchFire of Szatmárököritó, Hungary. A fire in a barn during a dancing party killed 312. 21–22 DecemberFriedlander Leather Remnants factory fire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 13 firefighters and 1 police officer killed in two separate collapses. 22 DecemberNelson-Morris & Company stockyards fire in Chicago, Illinois, killed 21 firefighters.

1911 20 February , Bologoye, Russian Empire, killed 64 and injured 191. 25 MarchTriangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, New York City, killed 146. 10 AprilSchaerbeek Municipal Hall in Brussels, Belgium, badly damaged by arsonists.

1912 9 JanuaryEquitable Life Assurance Building, New York City. 29 NovemberUniversity of Maryland, College Park, majority of campus buildings destroyed.

1913 28 FebruaryDewey Hotel fire in Omaha, Nebraska, killed 20. 22 JulyBinghamton Factory fire, New York, killed 31.

1914 9 MarchMissouri Athletic Club fire in St. Louis, Missouri, killed 30.

1915 28 OctoberSt. John's School fire, Peabody, Massachusetts, killed 21.

1916 3 FebruaryCentre Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

1917

10 November – Major fire at Changdeokgung.

1918 26 FebruaryHappy Valley Racecourse fire, Happy Valley, Hong Kong, over 600 killed. 13 AprilNorman State Hospital fire in Norman, Oklahoma killed 40.

1919 19 JuneMayagüez Theater fire, San Juan, Puerto Rico, killed 150.

1920s

1921 31 JanuaryPalace-Colonial Hotel fire in Hoboken, New Jersey, killed 10.

1922 1922Public Records Office fire during civil unrest at the Four Courts complex, Dublin, Ireland, destroyed much of seven centuries of Irish public records.

1923 18 FebruaryManhattan State Hospital fire in New York City, killed 25. 17 MayCleveland School fire, Camden, South Carolina, killed 77. 31 MayPetrograd Opera House fire in St. Petersburg, Russia, killed and injured "many" people (it is unknown exactly how many victims there were).

1924 24 DecemberBabbs Switch fire, Oklahoma, killed 36.

1925 18 MarchMadame Tussauds wax museum in London, England.

1926 23 JanuaryLafayette Hotel fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania, killed 13. 14 JulyTwilight Inn hotel fire in Tannersville, New York, killed 22. 5 SeptemberDromcolliher cinema fire in County Limerick, Ireland, killed 48.

1927 9 JanuaryLaurier Palace Theatre Fire, Montreal, Canada, killed 77 children.

1928 22 SeptemberTeatro de Novedades theater fire killed 68–110, in Madrid, Spain. 8 OctoberPenitentiary fire in Junction City, Ohio, killed 17.

1929 15 MayCleveland Clinic fire, Cleveland, Ohio, killed 125. 11 JulyGillingham Fair fire disaster, Kent, England, killed 15 when firefighting demonstration went wrong. 20 SeptemberStudy Club nightclub fire, Detroit, Michigan, killed 22. 31 DecemberGlen Cinema disaster, Paisley, Scotland, killed 71.

1930s 1930 10 MarchJinhae Primary School fire, Jinhae, Gyeongsangnamdo, South Korea, killed 104. 18 April1930 Costești wooden church fire in Argeș County, Romania, killed 118. 21 AprilOhio Penitentiary fire, Columbus, Ohio, killed 322.

1931 7 MarchPrison camp fire in Kenansville, North Carolina, killed 11 inmates. 6 JulyGlaspalast, Munich, fire. 25 JulyFire at the Little Sisters of the Poor's Home for the Aged in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killed 42 and injured more than 200.

1932 26 DecemberShirokiya Department Store fire in Tokyo, Japan, 14 killed.

1933

27 FebruaryReichstag fire in Berlin, Germany, caused by arson, used to justify expansion of Nazi rule.

1934 21 MarchThe Great Hakodate Fire killed at least 2,166 people in southern Hokkaido, Japan. 24 MarchFederal Transient Bureau building fire in Lynchburg, Virginia, killed 22. 10 November1934 Wimpole Street fire in Wimpole Street, London, England; killed five women. 11 DecemberKerns Hotel fire in Lansing, Michigan, killed 34, including 7 Michigan legislators.

1935 22 AugustBerlin Fair Fire in Berlin, Germany, also damaged the Berlin Radio Tower.

1936

30 NovemberThe Crystal Palace housed the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, England; destroyed.

1937 13 FebruaryAntoung Movie Theater fire, China, killed 658. 20 AprilKilingi-Nõmme school fire in Estonia, killed 18 schoolchildren and injured 50 more. 19–20 MayAkwawit alcohol plant fire in Poznań, Poland, nine injured. 9 July1937 Fox vault fire, Little Ferry, New Jersey, burned and destroyed almost all of the studio's pre-1932 silent films. 7 SeptemberWitley Court in Worcestershire, England, burned down. 17 SeptemberRotunde, a landmark of the 1873 Vienna World's Fair, Austria, burned down. 20 DecemberSouth Tomita Primary School fire, Shirahama, in Wakayama, Japan, killed 81.

1938 18 JanuaryCollege of the Sacred Heart fire in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, killed 46. 16 MayTerminal Hotel Fire in Atlanta, Georgia, killed 35.