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Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires and Explosions, 2022 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 January New York 120-unit apartment building 17
2 January Pennsylvania 2-unit rowhouse 12
3 August Pennsylvania Single-family home 10
4 July Arkansas Single-family home 6
4 December New York Single-family home 6
4 December Ohio Single-family home 6
4 December Tennessee Single-family home 6
5 February Pennsylvania Single-family home 5
5 February Texas Single-family home 5
5 March Illinois Single-family farmhouse 5
5 April Pennsylvania Single-family home 5
5 May Pennsylvania Single-family home 5
5 June Michigan Single-family home 5
5 September Pennsylvania Single-family farmhouse 5
6 July California Wildland 4
6 July New Mexico Wildland 4
6 December Florida Warehouse 4

(1) Fires or explosions that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org.

 

Archived Tables

THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES OF 2008 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 February Georgia Sugar refinery plant and complex 14
2 April Pennsylvania Single-family house 10
3 August California Wildfire 9
4 March Ohio Single-family house 7
5 August Tennessee Single-family house 7
6 December Pennsylvania Single-family house 7
7 January Ohio Single-family house 6
8 June Louisiana Single-family house 6
9 October New York 18-unit apartment building 5
10 January Texas Single-family manufactured house 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonresidential or nonstructural property.

Source: National Fire Protection Agency.

 
THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES OF 2009 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of Facility Deaths
1 December Mississippi Apartment house 9
2 January New York Single-family house 8
3 January D.C. Single-family house 6
4 July Kentucky Single-family house 6
5 January South Carolina Manufactured home 5
6 January West Virginia Single-family house 5
7 March Alabama Manufactured home 5
8 April Michigan Single-family house 5
9 May Missouri Manufactured home 5
10 November Florida Manufactured home 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonresidential or nostructural property.

Source: National Fire Protection Association.

 
THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES OF 2010 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 April West Virginia Coal mine 29
2 September California Natural gas leak explosion and fire 8
3 December Louisiana Vacant warehouse used by homeless 8
4 February Illinois Four-unit apartment building 7
5 April Washington Refinery explosion and fire 7
6 February Connecticut Construction site explosion 6
7 April Minnesota Apartment building 6
8 June New York Single-family home 6
9 August Oklahoma Single-family home 6
10 December Maryland Single-family home 6

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in home property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

Source: National Fire Protection Association.

 
THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES OF 2011 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 March Pennsylvania Single-family home 7
2 March Texas Single-family manufactured home 6
3 April Washington Single-family home 6
4 May Illinois 10-unit apartment building 6
5 June Ohio Single-family home 6
6 July Minnesota Bed and breakfast 6
7 July New York Single-family home 6
8 October Kansas Grain elevator 6
9 January Washington 9-unit apartment building 5
10 January Texas Single-family home 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in home property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

Source: National Fire Protection Association.

 
THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES, 2012 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 January Florida Motor vehicle crash/fire 11
2 March West Virginia Single-family home 9
3 February New Jersey Two-family home 5
4 March Arkansas Two-family home 5
5 July New Jersey Apartments – six units 5
6 October Maryland Single-family home 5
7 November Missouri Apartments – eight units 5
8 November Ohio Single-family home 5
9 December Oklahoma Single-family home 5
10 March North Carolina Aircraft crash/fire 4

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in home property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

Source: National Fire Protection Association.

 
TOP 10 MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES, 2013 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 June Arizona Wildfire 19
2 April Texas Fertilizer plant 15
3 July Pennsylvania Three-story duplex home 7
4 May Pennsylvania Single-family home 6
5 September Ohio Single-family home 6
6 October West Virginia Single-family home 6
7 January Kentucky Single-family home 5
8 February Indiana Single-family home 5
9 March Illinois Single-family home 5
10 April Idaho Single-family home 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

Source: Reproduced with permission from Catastrophic Multiple-death Fires in 2013 by Stephen G. Badger, ©National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics.

 
Top 10 Most Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires, 2014 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 January Kentucky Single-family home 9
2 March New York Two five-story mixed-occupancy buildings  8
3 April California Three-vehicle (car, bus, truck tractor) interstate crash 8
4 July Massachusetts Three-story mixed-use building 7
5 February Indiana Single-family home 6
6 May Massachusetts Two-engine passenger jet on airport runway 6
7 June New Jersey Single-family home 6
8 August North Carolina Manufactured home 6
9 October Pennsylvania Single-family home 6
10 November Maine Three-story rooming house 6

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

Source: Based on date from Catastrophic Multiple-death fires in 2014 by Stephen G. Badger, ©National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics.

 
Top Nine Most Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires, 2015 (1)
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Rank Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 March New York Three-story single-family home 7
2 January Maryland Three-story single-family home 6
3 January Ohio One-story single-family home 5
4 October Kentucky Three-story single-family home and a two-unit home 5
5 December  California One-story single-family dwelling 5
6 September California Wildland/urban interface 4
7 November Ohio Small business jet aircraft and four-unit apartment building 4
8 April California One-story tire shop 3
9 August Washington Wildland/urban interface 3

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property. There were only nine castastrophic fires in 2015 that met this criteria.

Source: Based on data from Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2015 by Stephen G. Badger, ©National Fire Protection Association. Used with permission. http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics.

 
Top 10 Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires, 2016 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 December  California Ghost Ship warehouse 36
2 July Texas Hot-air balloon crash/fire 16
3 November Tennessee Wildfire 14
4 August Tennessee Single-family home 10
5 August Maryland 13-unit apartment building, explosion/fire 7
6 March Georgia Single-family home 6
6 May New York Single-family home 6
6 October Nebraska Single-family home 6
6 October Georgia Single-family home 6
10 January Alabama Single-family home 5
10 January Illinois Single-family home 5
10 January Virginia Single-family home 5
10 January Michigan Single-family home 5
10 April Pennsylvania Two-family duplex home 5
10 June California Vacant office buildings 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.

(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: Based on data from Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2016 by Stephen G. Badger, ©National Fire Protection Association. Used with permission. www.nfpa.org.

 
Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires, 2017 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 October California Wildfires 44
2 December New York 5-story apartment building 13
3 May Ohio Single-family home 7
4 January Maryland Single-family home 6
4 March Oregon Single-family home 6
4 October Texas Single-family home 6
4 November Illinois Single-family home 6
8 March Massachusetts Single-family home 5
8 March Michigan 9-unit apartment building 5
8 April South Dakota 3-unit apartment building 5
8 April Tennessee Manufactured single-family home 5
8 April New York Single-family home 5
8 October Ohio Single-family home 5
8 September Alaska Single-family home 5
8 December Iowa Single-family home 5
8 May Wisconsin Corn milling plant 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: Reproduced with permission, based on data from Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2017 by Stephen G. Badger, © 2017, National Fire Protection Association https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem.

 
Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires, 2018 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 November California Wildland Urban Interface fire 85
2 August Illinois Two-family home 10
3 July California Wildland Urban Interface fire 8
4 April Tennessee Single-family home 6
5 July Michigan Motel 6
6 November Indiana Single-family home 6
7 January Oklahoma Gas well 5
7 January Kansas Single-family home 5
7 February Arizona Helicopter crash/fire 5
7 March Tennessee Single-family home 5
7 April New York Single-family home 5
7 May North Carolina Apartment building 5
7 June Missouri Single-family, manufactured 5
7 June Washington Vacation cabin 5
7 July New Jersey Apartment building 5
7 July Texas Apartment building 5
7 December Ohio Single-family home 5

(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: Reproduced with permission from Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2018 by Stephen G. Badger, ©2019 National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org.

 
Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires and Explosions, 2019 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 September California Dive boat 34
2 October Connecticut Airplane crash and fire 7
3 May New York Apartment building 6
3 June Wisconsin Single-family home 6
3 December Nevada Apartment building 6
4 February California Aircraft in single-family home 5
4 February New York Single-family home 5
4 April Illinois Single-family home 5
4 August Pennsylvania Day care 5
4 November Minnesota Apartment building 5
4 December Alabama Single-family home 5

(1) Fires or explosions that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org.

 
Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires and Explosions, 2020 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 August California Wildfire 16
2 January Alabama Houseboat and boats 8
3 February Mississippi Single-family home 7
4 March Indiana Single-family home 6
4 August California Wildfire 6
4 December West Virginia Single-family home 6
5 June Georgia Aircraft in flight 5
5 August Colorado Single-family home 5
5 August California Wildfire 5
5 October New Jersey Furniture store 5

(1) Fires or explosions that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org.

 
Top Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires and Explosions, 2021 (1)
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Rank (2) Month State Type of facility Deaths
1 March Oklahoma Single-family home 6
1 April Virginia Single-family home 6
1 December Georgia Single-family home 6
2 January Georgia Single-family home 5
2 January Illinois 4-unit apartment building 5
2 March Arkansas 2-story apartment building 5
2 August Illinois 2-story apartment building 5
2 September Ohio Single-family home 5
2 September California Single-family home 5
2 November New York 3-unit apartment building 5
3 November Texas Barn/workshop 3
3 December Maine Vacant single-family home 3
3 May Illinois Campsite 3
3 July Michigan Boat 3

(1) Fires or explosions that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonhome or nonstructural property.
(2) Fires with the same number of deaths receive the same rank.

Source: National Fire Protection Association. www.nfpa.org.