Top 10 Costliest Large-Loss Fires In U.S. History |
($ millions)
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Estimated loss (1) |
Rank |
Date |
Location/event |
Dollars when occurred |
In 2024 dollars (2) |
1 |
Sep. 11, 2001 |
World Trade Center (terrorist attacks) |
$33,400 |
$57,800 (3) |
2 |
Oct. 8, 2017 |
Northern CA Wildland Urban Interface fire |
10,000 |
12,500 |
3 |
Apr. 18, 1906 |
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire |
350 |
12,200 |
4 |
Nov. 8, 2018 |
Camp Wildland Urban Interface fire |
8,500 |
10,400 |
5 |
Aug. 2021 |
"Siege" wildfire, Northern California (4) |
4,200 |
4,700 |
6 |
Oct. 8-9, 1871 |
Great Chicago Fire |
168 |
4,300 |
7 |
Nov. 8, 2018 |
Woolsey Wildland Urban Interface fire |
2,900 |
3,500 |
8 |
Jul. 2021 |
Navy ship under repair, San Diego California |
3,000 |
3,400 |
9 |
Oct. 20, 1991 |
Oakland, CA, firestorm |
1,500 |
3,400 |
10 |
Oct. 20, 2007 |
San Diego County, CA, The Southern California Firestorm |
1,800 |
2,700 |
(1) Loss estimates are from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) records. The list is limited to fires for which some reliable dollar loss estimates exists.
(2) Adjustment to 2024 dollars made on the National Fire Protection Association data using the Consumer Price Index.
(3) Differs from inflation-adjusted estimates made by other organizations due to the use of different collection criteria and deflators.
(4) Includes multiple fires.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org. |
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