History

Famous Historic Fires

Name: Famous Historic Fires
Creator: Community curated
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

London 1666, Chicago 1871, Tokyo 1923, Notre-Dame 2019 - which historic blaze changed its city most?

15rows

6columns

46views

0downloads

Source:Community curated

Updated:4/9/2026

#history #fires #disasters #urban #catastrophe

15/15

Fire↕	Year↕	City↕	Country↕	Deaths↕	Known For↕
Great Fire of London	1666	London	England	6 recorded (likely more)	Destroyed 13,200 houses and St. Paul's, started at Pudding Lane bakery, led to rebuilding by Wren
Great Chicago Fire	1871	Chicago	United States	300	Mrs. O'Leary's cow myth, destroyed 17,500 buildings, rebuilt as skyscraper city
Great Kanto Earthquake Fires	1923	Tokyo/Yokohama	Japan	105,000+	Earthquake ignited firestorms, most victims killed by fire not quake
Great Fire of Rome	64	Rome	Roman Empire	Hundreds	Nero accused of fiddling while Rome burned, blamed Christians, 10 of 14 districts damaged
San Francisco Earthquake Fires	1906	San Francisco	United States	3,000+	Fires caused most destruction after quake, 80% of city destroyed, Market Street firestorms
Peshtigo Fire	1871	Peshtigo, Wisconsin	United States	1,200-2,500	Deadliest wildfire in US history, overshadowed by simultaneous Chicago fire
Notre-Dame Fire	2019	Paris	France	0	Spire and roof destroyed, $1B+ restoration, live global broadcast of cathedral burning
Iroquois Theatre Fire	1903	Chicago	United States	602	Deadliest single-building fire in US history, led to modern fire codes
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire	1911	New York	United States	146	Locked doors killed garment workers, spurred US labor laws and unions
Great Fire of Hamburg	1842	Hamburg	German Confederation	51	Destroyed a third of medieval city, rebuilt with modern infrastructure and canals
Great Fire of New York	1835	New York	United States	2	Destroyed 693 buildings in Lower Manhattan, frozen hydrants in winter, bankrupted insurers
Great Boston Fire	1872	Boston	United States	20-30	Destroyed 776 buildings and $75M in property, led to modern fire hydrants
Great Fire of Meireki	1657	Edo (Tokyo)	Japan	100,000+	Destroyed 70% of Edo including castle keep, Furisode fire of the long-sleeved kimono legend
Great Fire of Moscow	1812	Moscow	Russia	Thousands	Set by Russians during Napoleon's occupation, destroyed 75% of city, doomed invasion
Windsor Castle Fire	1992	Windsor	United Kingdom	0	Queen's annus horribilis, damaged 100 rooms, five-year restoration funded partly by Buckingham tours