Top 10 Costliest Large-Loss Fires In U.S. History

($ millions)

      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.