The following events were originally compiled in 1996 in celebration of NFPA's centennial. Events selected and facts checked by Dr. John R. Hall, Jr. Special thanks to NFPA Life Member Walter Maybee for historical research, particularly prior to 20th century. Property damage figures are rounded and stated in estimated 2003 dollars. Incidents listed as explosions may have caused some fire loss before or after the explosion.

January
1  First practical fire engine is tested, Cincinnati (OH), 1853
2  Meat processing plant fire kills 16, Terre Haute (IN), 1963
3  Marlborough Hotel fire kills 19, Minneapolis (MN), 1940
4  SS Atlantique passenger liner fire kills 18, English Channel, 1933
5  Texaco gas plant fire, loss worth $51 million (2003 dollars), Erath (LA), 1985
6  Thomas Hotel fire kills 20 San Francisco (CA), 1961
7  Mercy Hospital fire kills 41, Davenport (IA), 1950
8  M/V Erling Jarl passenger ship fire kills 14, Bodo, Norway, 1958
9  Laurier Palace movie theater fire kills 78, Montreal (QB), 1927
10 Pathfinder Hotel fire kills 20, Fremont (NE), 1976
11 Fire damages 463 houses, Savannah (GA), 1820
12 Rhodes Opera House fire kills 170, Boyertown (PA), 1908
13 Coal mine fire kills 91, Wilburton (OK), 1926
14 USS Enterprise carrier fire kills 24, Pearl Harbor (HI), 1969
15 NFPA launches Fire Journal this month, 1965
16  McCormack Place hall fire, loss worth $289 million (2003 dollars), Chicago (IL), 1967
17 SS Salem Maritime tanker fire kills 2,  Lake Charles (LA), 1956
18 Sacred Heart College fire kills 46, St. Hyacinthe (PQ), 1938
19 Dance hall fire kills 31, Taipei, Taiwan, 1966
20 Phillips refinery fire, loss worth $78 million (2003 dollars), Borger (TX), 1980
     Nursing home fire kills 5, Maryville (TN), 2004
21 Gargantu bar fire kills 13, Montreal (QB), 1975
22 US Maritime warehouse fire, loss worth $14 million (2003 dollars), Kearny (NJ), 1961
23 Shell Oil refinery fire, loss worth $49 million (2003 dollars), Roxana (IL), 1985
24 M. Baer Dress Company factory fire kills 15, New Haven (CT), 1957
25 Harwick coal mine explosion kills 179, Cheswick (PA), 1904
26 Victoria Hotel fire kills 13, Dunnville (ON), 1969
27 Apollo launchpad fire kills 3 and loss worth $413 million (2003 dollars), Cape Kennedy, 1967
28 Challenger spacecraft explosion kills seven, 1986
29 Coal mine explosion kills 84, Stuart (WV), 1907
30 Pan American B-707 post-crash fire kills 95, Pago Pago, American Samoa, 1974
31 Lacoste Babies Home orphanage fire kills 17, Auburn (ME), 1945

February
1  Joelma office fire kills 179, São Paulo, Brazil, 1974
     Power plant (auto manufacturing complex) fire, loss worth $717 million (2003 dollars), Dearborn (MI), 1999
2  Coast to Coast Hardware store fire kills 13, Eagle Grove (IA), 1973
3  Thiokol Chemical Co. fire kills 29, Woodbine (GA), 1971
4  Fire Technology begins publication this month, 1965
5  Banko Paradise Hotel fire kills 30, Tokyo, Japan, 1969
6  “Black Thursday” forest fires damage 50,000 square miles Australia, 1851
7  Great Baltimore Fire loss worth $1,019 million (2003 dollars), 1904
8  Loebel’s Restaurant fire kills 89, Berlin, Germany, 1946
9  USS Lafayette fire, loss worth $598 million (2003 dollars), New York (NY), 1942
10 First fire extinguisher patent issued to Alanson Crane, 1863
11 Madrid-Barcelona Express train fire kills 34, Zaragoza, Spain, 1965
12 Knitting factory under apartments fire kills 19, Hong Kong, 1968
13 First state-level insurance regulatory act passes Massachusetts, 1799
14 Stardust Cabaret discotheque fire kills 44, Dublin, Ireland, 1981
15 First US graduate FPE program Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1979
16 “Ash Wednesday” forest fires kill 76, Australia, 1983
17 Katie Jane Nursing Home fire kills 72, Warrenton (MO), 1957
18 Manhattan State Hospital fire kills 25, Ward’s Island (NY), 1923
19 Spencer Mine explosion kills 7, Pottsville (PA), 1846
20 First US chartered fire insurance company, Philadelphia (PA), 1768
     The Station nightclub fire kills 100, West Warwick (RI), 2003
21 NY Bronze Powders Co. warehouse, loss worth $210 million (2003 dollars), Elizabeth (NJ), 1985
22 Madrid Spectacle Frame Company fire kills 24, Madrid, Spain, 1961
23 One Meridian Plaza fire, loss worth $439 million (2003 dollars), Philadelphia (PA), 1991
24 Gai Sejour home for the aged, fire kills 16, St. Gilles,Belgium, 1965
25 Oil pipeline explosion kills 508, Cubatão, Brazil, 1984
26 World Trade Center bombing/fire kills 6 and injures 1,165, New York (NY), 1993
     Nursing home fire kills 16, Hartford (CT), 2003
27 Telephone exchange fire, loss worth $205 million (2003 dollars), New York (NY), 1975
28 First joint stock fire insurance company, Philadelphia (PA), 1810
29 Army plant under construction, loss worth $17 million (2003 dollars), Livonia (MI), 1952

March
1  Weeks Law authorizes federal-state cooperation in forest fire protection, 1911
2  US Food and Drug Admin. bans carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers, 1970
3  Explosion kills 31, filling gasoline cans from leaking truck, Syria, 1962
4  Lakeview Grammar School fire kills 175, Collinwood (OH), 1908
5  False alarm leads to confrontations that result in the Boston Massacre, 1770
6  Psychiatric hospital fire kills 28, Burghoezli, Switzerland, 1971
7  Harbor dynamite explosion kills 55, Baltimore (MD), 1913
     Prison fire kills 133, Higuey, Dominican Republic, 2005
8  Castle Gate #2 coal mine fire kills 171, Castle Gate (UT), 1924
9  Missouri Athletic Club & bank bldg. fire kills 37, St. Louis (MO), 1914
10 Strand Theater fire roof collapse kills 13 firefighters, Brockton (MA), 1941
11 Ski resort fire kills 31, Numata, Japan, 1966
     Multiple train station bombings kill 191, Madrid, Spain, 2004
12 Chemical plant fire kills 68, Pusan, Korea, 1960
13 House of Angels orphanage fire kills 14, Seoul, Korea, 1975
14 Royal Beach home hotel fire kills 19, Chicago (IL), 1981
15 National Theater fire damages entire block Washington (DC), 1845
16 Willow Grove #10 coal mine explosion kills 72, St. Clairsville (OH), 1940
17 First fire prevention legislation passed, Cambridge (MA), 1631
18 Consolidated school gas explosion kills 294, New London (TX), 1937
     Sparky ® the Fire Dog is born, 1951
19 Insurance groups form committee to design what will be NFPA, New York (NY), 1896
20 San Bois #2 coal mine explosion kills 73, McCurtin (OK), 1912
     Subway Sarin gas attack kills 12 and injures 6,000, Tokyo, Japan, 1995
21 Conflagration kills 2,018,Hakodate, Japan, 1934
22 Brown’s Ferry reactor fire, loss worth $342 million (2003 dollars), Decatur (AL), 1975
23 Caboose Barfire kills 9, Allentown (PA), 1974
24 Hasaka Prison fire kills 57, Damascus, Syria, 1993
25 Triangle Shirtwaist fire kills 145, New York, 1911
     Happy Land Social Club fire kills 87, New York, 1990
26 Jed coal minefire kills 83, Jed (WV), 1912
27 First steam fire engine’s public test by designer P. Hodge,New York (NY), 1841
28 Hanna #1 coal mine fire kills 59, Hanna (WY), 1908
29 First state law banning public use of fireworks passes, Michigan, 1929
30 Petrobras refinery fire kills 38, Duque de Caxias, Brazil, 1972
31 Cleveland Hill School fire kills 15, Cheektowaga (NY),1954

April
1  First salaried fire department established, Cincinnati (OH), 1853
2  Wayside Inn board and care home fire kills 25, Farmington (MO), 1979
3  Balmer North coal mine explosion kills 15, Natal (BC), 1967
4   St. Anthony’s Hospital fire kills 74, Effingham (IL), 1949
5  Cornell dorm fire kills 9, a day before sprinklers were due, Ithaca (NY), 1967
6  Marting Arms sporting goods store fire kills 41, Richmond (IN), 1968
7  First US/Japan Fire Research/Safety Panel Gaithersburg (MD), 1976
8  Banner coal mine explosion kills 128, Littleton (AL), 1911
9  First meeting of National Board of Fire Underwriters, 1866
10 Eddystone Ammunition Company explosion kills 133, Eddystone (PA), 1917
11 Gulf of Venezuela explosion kills 25, Port Arthur (TX), 1926
12 Fireworks factory fire kills 32, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1979
13 Munitions works explosion kills 45, Lapua, Finland, 1976
14 Harbor explosion kills 700, Bombay, India, 1944
15 Museum of Modern Art fire destroys Monet painting, New York (NY), 1958
16 SS Grandcamp and Monsanto plant explosion kills 468, Texas City (TX), 1947
17 First municipal law on fire escapes from tenements passes New York (NY), 1860
18 Earthquake fire kills 315+ and loss worth $7,132 million (2003 dollars), San Francisco (CA), 1906
19 Princess Irene ship fire kills 20, Rhine River, Germany, 1975
     Religious group complex fire kills 47, Waco (TX), 1993
     Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing kills 168, Oklahoma City (OK), 1995
20 Imperial Hotel fire kills 24, Bangkok, Thailand, 1971
21 First firehouse pole installed, New York (NY), 1878
     Ohio state penitentiary fire kills 320, Columbus (OH), 1930
22 Keen Mountain coal mine explosion kills 45, Hanger (VA), 1938
23 Rhythm Club fire kills 207, Natchez (MS), 1940
24 First alarm received from first fire box alarm system, Boston (MA), 1851
25 Antiques exhibition explosion kills 33, Todi, Italy, 1982
26 Chernobyl nuclear power facility fire kills 31, Ukraine, USSR, 1986
27 SS Sultana boiler explosion kills 1,547, Mississippi River, 1865
28 Eccles #5 & #6 coal mine explosion kills 181, Eccles (WV), 1914
29 Civil disturbance fires, loss worth $743 million (2003 dollars), Los Angeles (CA), 1992
30 Federal #3 coal mine explosion kills 97, Everetteville (WV), 1927

May
1  Winter Quarters #1 & #4 coal mine explosion kills 200, Scofield (UT), 1900
2  Sunshine silver mine fire kills 91, Kellogg (ID), 1972
3  Fireworks factory fire kills 38, Caracas, Venezuela, 1961
4  National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control publishes America Burning, 1973
     WIldland fire loss worth $1,068 million (2003 dollars), Los Alamos (NM), 2000
5  Petroleum refinery fire, loss worth $513 million (2003 dollars), Norco (LA), 1988
6  Hindenburg zeppelin fire kills 36 and the zeppelin industry, Lakehurst (NJ), 1937
7  Fireworks plant fire kills 21, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1991
8  Armour meat processing plant gas explosion kills 19, St. Joseph (MO), 1930
9 Catholic church fire kills 21, Santa Cruz Tlapacoya, Mexico, 1983
10 Kader toy factory fire kills 188, Nakhon Pathom Prov., Thailand, 1993
11 Soccer stadium fire kills 56, Bradford, England, 1985
12 Christopher #3 coal mine explosion kills 56, Osage (WV), 1942
13 Yiba Commercial Center fire kills 33, Ankara, Turkey, 1978
14 Minerva Film Company fire kills 23, Rome (NY), 1947
15 Cleveland Clinic fire kills 125, Cleveland (OH), 1929
16 Terminal Hotel fire kills 35, Atlanta (GA), 1938
17 Cleveland School fire kills 77, Beulah (SC), 1923
     Prison fire kills 103, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 2004
18 NFPA Standard 19B requires SCBA use during firefighting, 1971
19 First US patent on an automatic fire alarm system issued, 1857
     Coal mine explosion kills 273, Mather (PA), 1928
20 Amended Wash-Healey Act allows adoption of NFPA standards by reference, 1969
21 First Society of Fire Protection Engineers chapter is formed, Chicago (IL), 1953
22 Innovation store fire kills 325, Brussels, Belgium, 1967
23 All Hallows Church Parish Hall fire kills 17, San Francisco (CA), 1964
24 Moose Hall fire kills 10, Hamilton (ON), 1944
25 First ad for a fire insurance agent, Philadelphia (PA), 1721
26 USS Bennington fire kills 103 off Rhode Island coast, 1954
27 Carolina coal mine explosion kills 53, Farmville (NC), 1925
28 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire kills 165, Southgate (KY), 1977
29 Lone Star Ice Plant fire kills 4, San Antonio (TX), 1985
30 First rubber-lined cotton web fire hose patented by J. Boyd, Boston (MA), 1821
31 US Army ammunition plant fire, loss worth $38 million (2003 dollars), Radford (VA), 1974

June
1  Coal-fueled power plant explosion kills 33, Berlin, Germany, 1948
2  Air Canada DC-9 in-flight fire kills 23, Cincinnati (OH), 1983
3  Gas pipeline explosion kills 650, near Ufa, Russia, 1989
4  North Hungarian Chemical Works fire kills 13, Sajobabony, Hungary, 1979
5  LaSalle Hotel fire kills 61, Chicago (IL), 1946
6  K-Mart warehouse fire loss worth $190 million (2003 dollars), Falls Twp (PA), 1982
7  Ellington Apartments fire kills 13, Cleveland (OH), 1932
8  Metal mine fire kills 163, Butte (MT), 1917
9  Night club fire kills 41, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 1977
10 First forest fire lookout tower staffed Squaw Mountain (ME), 1905
11 Showa Denko Co. chemical plant fire kills 11, Kawasaki, Japan, 1964
12 Conflagration damages 70 buildings, Whitewright (TX), 1911
13 Hercules, Inc. plant fire, loss worth $23 million (2003 dollars), Covington (VA), 1980
14 Carteret Shopping Center fire loss worth $37 million (2003 dollars), Carteret (IL), 1974
15 SS General Slocum steamship fire kills 1,030, New York (NY), 1904.
16 American Society for Testing and Materials is founded, Philadelphia (PA), 1898
17 Hotel Vendome fire kills 9 firefighters, Boston (MA), 1972
18 Kostinbrod Chemical Works fire kills 10 near Sofia, Bulgaria, 1968
19 Wildfire damages 15,000 acres, near Los Alamos (NM), 1977
20 Mayaguez Theater fire kills 150, San Juan (PR), 1919
21St. John City Detention Center fire kills 21, St. John (BR), 1977
22 Henderson Department Store fire kills 11, Liverpool, England, 1960
23 First NFPA Committee on Safety to Life is appointed, 1913
24 Upstairs Lounge fire kills 32, New Orleans (LA), 1973
25 Aerlex Corporation fireworks plant fire kills 21, Hallett (OK), 1985
26 Maury County Jail fire kills 42, Columbia (TN), 1977
27 Forest fire, loss worth $334 million (2003 dollars), Santa Barbara County (CA), 1990
28 LP-gas tank car derailment fire kills 23, Meldrim (GA), 1959
29 Conflagration fire kills 9, Virginia City (NV), 1873
30 North German Lloyd line steamship fire kills 326, Hoboken (NJ), 1900
     Flammable Fabrics Act takes effect, 1954

JULY
1  First mechanical water tower built New York (NY), 1879
2  Semet-Solvay Co. TNT plant fire kills 50, Split Rock (NY), 1918
3  Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Assocation begins this month, 1907
4 Elliott Chambers Rooming House fire kills 15, Beverly (MA), 1984
5 Doxol Gas Co. fire kills 12 firefighters, Kingman (AZ), 1973
6 Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus tent fire kills 168, Hartford (CT), 1944
7 Pomona Hotel fire kills 12, Portland (OR), 1975
8 Excursion boat fire kills 55, Haderslev Park Lake, Jutland,  Denmark, 1959
9 Forest fire kills15 firefighters, Mendocino National Forest (CA), 1953
10 Rolling Mill coal mine explosion kills 112, Johnstown (PA), 1902
11 Varig Airlines B-707 in-flight fire kills 123, near Paris, France, 1973
12 Hotel Coronade Aragon fire kills 74, Zaragoza, Spain, 1979
13 Civil War draft riot fires, loss worth $21 million (2003 dollars), New York (NY), 1863
14 Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital fire kills170, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1960
15 Sonman coal mine explosion kills 63,Portage (PA), 1940
16 Fire from gasoline in container on bus kills 14, Seoul, Korea, 1978
17 Two munitions ships collide and explode, killing 322, Port Chicago (CA), 1944
18 Ionization detector patented, E. Meili & W. Jaeger, Berne, Switzerland, 1947
19 LP-gas tank car explosion, loss worth $90 million (2003 dollars), Decatur (IL), 1974
20 Power plant explosion kills 23, Kokin Breg, Yugoslavia, 1958
21 USS Bennington gunboat boiler explosion kills 60, San Diego (CA), 1905
22 Binghamton Clothing Company factory fire kills 35, Binghamton (NY), 1913
23 Union Oil refinery fire kills 17 & loss worth $177 million (2003 dollars), Romeoville (IL), 1984
24 Little Sisters of the Poor home for aged fire kills 48, Pittsburgh (PA), 1931
25 Propane tank trailer explosion kills 10, Berlin (NY), 1962
26 Americans with Disabilities Act passes, greatly affecting safety codes, 1990
27 Oldest then-active fireboat, Grattan, destroyed by fire, Buffalo (NY), 1928
28 Fire after B-25 crash into Empire State Building kills 14, New York (NY), 1945
29 Shamrock Oil & Gas Corp. refinery fire kills 19 firefighters, Sun Ray (TX), 1956
30Reagan Nursing Home fire kills 12, Puxico (MO), 1956
31 Lake Forest Park Sanitarium fire kills 32, Seattle (WA), 1943

AUGUST
1  Forest fire kills 48 northeast of Massif des Aures, Algeria, 1959
2  Summerland Leisure Centre fire kills 50, Isle of Man, England, 1973
3  Warehouse fire, loss worth$54 million (2003 dollars), Hamburg, Germany, 1983
4  Forest fire kills 13 firefighters, Gates of the Mountain (MT), 1949
5  “Indiana Dunes” tests report, leads to home detector standards this month, 1975
6  Motorboat fire kills 11, off Basilan Strait, Philippines, 1972
7  Dynamite trucks explosion kills 1,100, Cali, Columbia, 1956
8  Coal mine explosion kills 17, Walbrzych, Poland, 1976
9  Titan II ICBM silo fire kills 53, near Searcy (AR), 1965
10 Gateway Restaurant fire kills 22, Andover (OH), 1955
11 First sprinkler head patented by H.S. Parmelee, 1874
12 Auto parts plant fire, loss worth $220 million (2003 dollars), Livonia (MI), 1953
13 National Safety Council incorporated by Congress, 1953
14 Frontier #1coal mine explosion kills 99, Kemmerer (WY), 1923
15 In-flight balloon fire kills 5 Barrington (IL), 1981
16 Forest fire kills 25, Transkei Veld, South Africa, 1975
17 Gulf Oil refinery fire, loss worth $44 million (2003 dollars), Philadelphia (PA), 1975
18 First Volunteer Fire Fighter Recognition Day is held, 1984
19 Forest fire kills 230 and damages 256,000 acres, SW France, 1949
20 Cinema Rex theater fire kills 422, Abadan, Iran, 1978
21 Liquid propylene tank truck crash explosion kills 12, Martelange, Belgium, 1967
22 British Airtour B-737 crash fire kills 54, Manchester, England, 1985
23  Warehouse fire kills 10 firefighters, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1959
24 Washington (DC) set afire by British troops during War of 1812
25 Washington House Hotel fire kills 12, Berkeley Springs (WV), 1974
26 Fireworks factory fire kills 23, Chiaya, Taiwan, 1958
27 Argonaut gold quartz mine fire kills 47, Jackson (CA), 1922
28 Conflagration fire destroys 44 buildings and kills 2, Hull (MA), 1923
29 Fireworks factory fire kills 27, Hong Kong, 1993
30 Select movie theater fire kills 88, Paris, France, 1947
31 In Crowd lounge fire kills 13, Gary (IN), 1968

SEPTEMBER
1  Earthquake conflagration kills 142,807, Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, 1923
2  First reported Learn Not to Burn® PSA saves Jamaica Plain (MA) & Muskegon (MI), 1975
3  Middle of five-day Great Fire of London, England, 1666
     Chicken processing plant fire kills 25, Hamlet (NC), 1991
4  First fog nozzle is patented, 1894
5  Hotel Caledonien fire kills 14, Kristiansand, Norway, 1986
     Cargo plane in-flight fire, loss worht $463 million (2003 dollars), new Newburgh (NY), 1996
6  Forest fire kills 25 firefighting soldiers, near Lisbon, Portugal, 1966
7  Movie theater fire kills 50, Drumcollogher, Ireland, 1926
8  SS Morro Castle fire kills 135 off New Jersey coast, 1934
9  Island Queen excursion steamer fire kills 23, Pittsburgh (PA), 1947
10 Powder mill explosion kills 19, Fairchance (PA), 1904
11  Air France Caravelle in-flight fire kills 95, France, 1968
     World Trade Center attack kills 2,666, New York (NY), 2001
12  Hercules Powder Company plant explosion kills 52, Kenvil (NJ), 1940
13 Ponet Square Hotel fire kills 19, Los Angeles (CA), 1970
14 First use of gooseneck piping for fire engines, Boston (MA), 1815
15 Fire destroys Pioche (NV) and kills 13, 1871
16 Protocol to limit world production of Halon is signed, Montreal (PQ), 1987
17 First sprinkler system patented by P.W. Pratt, 1872
18 Aircraft hanger fire loss worth  $296 million (2003 dollars), Richmond (FL), 1945
19 Yell of “fire” in church causes 100+ to be trampled to death, Birmingham (AL), 1902
20 Study Club fire kills 22, Detroit (MI), 1929
21 Badische Anilin chemical plant fire kills 1,000, Oppau, Germany, 1921
22 Second SFPE chapter is formed, Los Angeles (CA), 1953
23 US Army underground fuel tank explosion kills 34, Bitburg, Germany, 1953
24 Teatro de Novedades theater fire kills 68, Madrid, Spain, 1928
25 Bun Hirama rubber shoe factory fire kills 14, Kobe, Japan, 1963
     Nursing home fire kills 14, Nashville (TN), 2003
26 Conflagration destroys 386 buildings and kills 13, Bandon (OR), 1936
27 Gasoline tank car explosion kills 43, Ardmore (OK), 1915
28 First fireboats arrive in the US, New York (NY), 1800
29 Shantytown hut fires kill 15, New Delhi, India, 1991
30 Dwelling fire kills 12, Milwaukee (WI), 1987

OCTOBER
1  NFPA’s Fire News begins (as NFPA News Letter), 1916
2  First national Fire Prevention Week proclaimed by President  Warren Harding, 1922
3  Brush fire kills 28, Griffith Park, Los Angeles (CA), 1933
4  Forest fire kills 44, northern Ontario, 1922
5  Crystal Palace destroyed by fire, New York (NY), 1858
6  SC-340, submarine chaser ship is destroyed by fire, off St. John , Virgin Islands , 1923
7  First Fire Fighters Memorial Sunday is held, 1979
8  Forest fire kills 1,152 around Peshtigo (WI), 1871
     Great Chicago Fire kills 250, loss worth $2,568 million (2003 dollars), Chicago (IL), 1871
9  First Fire Prevention Day, 1911, marks end of two-day Great Chicago Fire, 1871
10 Oles Inc. hardware store fire kills 4, South Pasadena (CA), 1984
11 Forest fire kills 22, Minnesota/Ontario border, 1938
12 Forest fire kills 559, Cloquet (MN), 1918
13 Monsanto chemical plant fire kills 11, La Salle (PQ), 1966
14 Colliery fire kills 439, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, 1913
15 US Postal Service HQ fire, loss worth $48 million (2003 dollars), Washington (DC), 1984
16 USS Leyte carrier explosion kills 39, Boston (MA), 1953
17 Mercantile building fire kills 12 firefighters, New York (NY), 1966
     High-rise building fire kills 6, Chicago (IL), 2003
18 Alexander Hamilton home hotel fire kills 15, Paterson (NJ), 1984
19 Geiger nursing home fire kills 15, Honesdale (PA), 1971
20 International Association of Fire Chiefs founded, Baltimore (MD), 1873
     Oakland fire storm kills 25, loss worth $2,024 million (2003 dollars), Oakland (CA), 1991
21 Care-of-aged facility fire kills 28, Hof, Germany, 1947
22 Stag Canyon #2 coal mine explosion kills 263, Dawson (NM), 1913
23 Phillips Petroleum plant fire, loss worth  $1,113 million (2003 dollars), Pasadena (TX), 1989
24 Puerto Rican Social Club fire kills 25, New York (NY), 1976
25  Metropolitan Store fire kills 10, Windsor (ON), 1960
     "Old" wildland fire loss worth $975 million (2003 dollars), San Bernadino (CA), 2003
26 USS Oriskany carrier flash fire kills 43, Gulf of Tonkin, Viet Nam, 1966
27 Laguna forest fire, Orange County (CA), 1993
28 St. John’s Parochial School fire kills 22, Peabody (MA), 1915
29 Federal Fire Prevention & Control Act of 1974 creates US Fire Administration, 1974
30 Jumbo floating restaurant fire kills 34, Hong Kong, 1971
31 Society of Fire Protection Engineers is founded, Boston (MA), 1950

NOVEMBER
1  Dance hall fire kills 145, Grenoble, France, 1970
2  Explosion kills 1,000 to 3,000, Salang Tunnel, Afghanistan, 1982
3  Metal mine fire kills 51, Ishpeming (MI), 1926
4  Forest fire damages 37 homes, Topanga (CA), 1948
5  Sunday Creek #6 coal mine explosion kills 82, Millfield (OH), 1930
6  National Fire Protection Association is founded, Boston (MA), 1896
7  Halifax Poor House fire kills 31, Halifax (NS), 1882
8  First recorded use is made of a mechanical water tower, New York (NY), 1879
9  Great Boston Fire, loss worth $1,146 million (2003 dollars), Boston (MA), 1872
10 USS Mount Hood munitions explosion kills 373, Admiralty Islands, 1944
11 Coats boarding house fire kills 14, Pioneer (OH), 1979
12  Tinker AFB repair plant fire, loss worth  $244 million (2003 dollars), Norman (OK), 1984
13 National Firemen’s Journal publishes first issue, 1877
     St. Paul coal mine explosion kills 259, Cherry (IL), 1909
14 Hoechst Celanese Chemical fire, loss worth $348 million (2003 dollars), Pampa (TX), 1987
15 Stratford Apartments home hotel fire kills 25, Los Angeles (CA), 1973
16 Northwestern Mine explosion kills 31, Ravensdale (WA), 1915
17 Learn Not to Burn® Foundation is incorporated, Quincy (MA), 1986
18 Ballantyne Department Store fire kills 41, Christ Church, New Zealand, 1947
19 Gas storage area explosion kills 334, Mexico City, Mexico, 1984
20 Club Cinq Sept fire kills 143, St. Laurent du Pont, France, 1971
21  MGM Grand Hotel fire kills 85, Las Vegas (NV), 1980
22  Phillips Dance Hall & Martin’s Grocery, fire kills 25, Ville Platte (LA), 1919
23 Golden Age nursing home fire kills 63, Fitchville (OH), 1963
24 Home gas explosions kill 105, Danaciobasi, Turkey, 1980
25 Taeyokale Hotel fire kills 163, Seoul, Korea, 1971
26 Pakistani International B-707 in-flight fire kills 156, Saudi Arabia, 1979
27 Capitol International DC-8 post-crash fire kills 47, Anchorage (AK), 1970
28 Cocoanut Grove night club fire kills 492, Boston (MA), 1942
29 Hotel Concorde wedding reception fire kills 11, Margarita Isl., Venezuela, 1987
30 Boomer #2 coal mine explosion kills 23, Boomer (WV), 1915

DECEMBER
1  Our Lady of the Angels school fire kills 95, Chicago (IL), 1958
2  Arcadia Hotel fire kills 28, Boston (MA), 1913
3  Waterfront fire kills 10, Brooklyn (NY), 1956
     Union Carbide plant fire kills 3,800, Bhopal, India, 1984
4  Stouffer’s Inn conference center fire kills 26, Harrison (NY), 1980
5  Brooklyn Theater fire kills 295, Brooklyn (NY), 1876
6   Monongha Mine coal mine explosion kills 361, Monongha (WV), 1907
     Munitions freighter explosion kills 1,654, Halifax (NS), 1917
7  Winecoff Hotel fire kills 119, Atlanta (GA), 1946
8  Church of La Compana fire kills about 2,000, Santiago, Chile, 1864
9  State school for mentally retarded fire kills 15, Ellisville (MS), 1978
10 Overton #2 coal mine explosion kills 53, Irondale (AL), 1925
11 Quaker Oats factory fire kills 22, Peterborough (ON), 1916
     Textile mill fire, loss worth $603 milion (2003 dollars), Methuen (MA), 1995
12 Tent city fire kills 138, Mina, Saudi Arabia, 1975
13 Coal mine explosion kills 20, Stone City (KS), 1916
14 St. Charles Hospice orphan asylum fire kills 36, Quebec City (PQ), 1927
15 Koppers Steel plant fire kills 19, Weirton (WV), 1972
16 Great New York Fire, loss worth  $461million (2003 dollars), New York (NY), 1835
17 Gran Circus Americano fire kills 323, Niteroi, Brazil, 1961
18 Nursing home fire kills 20, Fountaintown (IN), 1964
19 Coal mine explosion kills 239, Jacobs Creek (PA), 1907
     USS Constellation fire, loss worth  $297 million (2003 dollars), Brooklyn (NY), 1960
20 Pioneer Hotel fire kills 28, Tucson (AZ), 1970
21 Orient #2 coal mine explosion kills 119, West Frankfort (IL), 1951
22 Stockyard cold storage fire kills 21 firefighters, Chicago (IL), 1910
23 Sumner coal mine explosion kills 19, Sumner (PA), 1899
24 Babbs Switch School fire kills 36, Hobart (OK), 1924
25 Gambling hall fire kills 15, Dresslerville (NV), 1947
26 Richmond Theater fire kills 70 including governor, Richmond (VA), 1811
27 Mine explosion kills 431, Chasnala, India, 1975
28 Oil tank truck/train post-collision fire kills 13, Everett (MA), 1966
29 Lick Branch coal mine explosion kills 50,  Switchback (WV), 1908
30 Iroquois Theater fire kills 602, Chicago (IL), 1903
     Nightclub fire kills 188, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
31 Dupont Plaza Hotel fire kills 97, San Juan (PR), 1986