| Property class |
Event |
Date |
Number of deaths |
| Fixed or variable use amusement or recreation place |
Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus
Hartford, CT |
July 6, 1944 |
168 |
| Eating or drinking place |
Cocoanut Grove night club
Boston, MA
|
November 28, 1942 |
492 |
| Theater |
Iroquois Theater
Chicago, IL
|
December 30, 1903 |
602 |
| School |
Consolidated School (explosion)
New London, TX
Lakeview Grammar School (fire)
Collingwood, OH
|
March 18, 1937
March 4, 1908
|
294
175
|
| Facility that cares for the aged |
Katie Jane Nursing Home
Warrenton, MO |
February 17, 1957 |
72 |
| Facility that cares for the sick |
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH |
May 15, 1929 |
125 |
| Prison or jail |
Ohio State Penitentiary
Columbus, OH |
April 21, 1930 |
320 |
| Hotel or motel |
Winecoff Hotel
Atlanta, GA |
December 7, 1946 |
119 |
| Office |
The World Trade Center
New York, NY |
September 11, 2001 |
2,666 |
| Mine |
Monongha Mine coal mine explosion
Monongha, WV |
December 6, 1907 |
361 |
| Manufacturing plant |
Aetna Chemical Company (explosion)
Oakdale, PA
Triangle Shirtwaist Company (PDF, 860 KB) (fire only)
New York, NY |
May 18, 1918
March 25, 1911
|
193
146 |
| Forest |
Peshtigo forest fire
Peshtigo, WI, and environs |
October 8, 1871 |
1,152 |
| Ship |
S.S. Sultana steamship explosion and fire
Mississippi River |
April 27, 1865 |
1,547 |
| Aircraft |
ValuJet Airlines DC-9 passenger jet
Miami, FL |
May 11, 1996 |
110 |
Disclaimer: Death tolls are based on information in NFPA’s records. Please
contact us to provide any updated information.
Source: NFPA archive files, 1984 Fire Alamanac, and The Great International Disaster Book by James Cornell, Pocket Books New York, 1976.
Updated: 12/02