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Fire is a fearsome force, even in its smallest forms. When it spirals out of control, it can decimate vast stretches of land. The tales of these uncontrollable infernos, along with the bravery and sacrifices they’ve sparked, offer a humbling view of nature’s raw power.
10. The Meireki Fire
Legend has it that in January 1657, Edo (modern Tokyo) was gripped by an outbreak of tuberculosis. A particular kimono seemed to be the source of the illness, as it caused the deaths of three successive owners. On January 18, a Buddhist monk set the cursed garment aflame. A strong gust of wind carried the fire, setting the temple roof alight. From there, the flames spread, earning the fire its nickname — the “long-sleeved kimono fire.”
After the fire was finally brought under control two days later, approximately 60 percent of the city had been reduced to ashes, and the death toll was believed to have reached 100,000, roughly a third of the population at that time. The aftermath of the blaze transformed Edo, expanding its size and reconfiguring its layout with new regulations to prevent future disasters.
9. The Great Porcupine Fire
The Great Porcupine Fire ravaged Northeastern Ontario in July 1911, coinciding with the peak of a local gold rush. It earned its name as many sought refuge from the blaze by taking to boats on Porcupine Lake. The fire consumed nearly 500,000 acres of forest, devastating towns and mining camps. The death toll remains uncertain.
Survivors who took refuge on the lake have shared some chilling stories, including one of a woman who gave birth while trapped on the boats. The nearby Salvation Creek earned its name after rescuing a group of miners, though not everyone was so lucky. When railcars loaded with dynamite exploded, the shock waves sent across the water led to several drownings.
A mine boss, along with his 22 employees, wife, and daughter, sought refuge in the West Dome Mines. Tragically, they suffocated when the fire reached the mine entrance.
8. The Thumb Fires
In 1871 and again in 1881, wildfires ravaged large sections of Michigan’s “thumb” region. During the first inferno, many residents couldn't escape their homes, and those who reached the shores of Lake Huron were swept away by the violent waters. Others sought refuge in wells, only to meet their demise there.
The 1871 blaze set the stage for the catastrophic Great Thumb Fire of 1881 by drying out the remaining timber. The fire claimed at least 300 lives and left 14,000 people destitute. Some were permanently blinded by the intense heat and ash, but one man survived after a remarkable stroke of fortune: while hunting, he killed an elk, crawled into its body, and sheltered from the flames.
The disaster also marked the beginning of large-scale disaster relief efforts, organized for the first time by the American Red Cross.
7. Delft Thunderclap
On October 12, 1654, Cornelis Soeens entered a gunpowder depot in the heart of Delft, a city in the Netherlands. Within moments, a devastating explosion occurred, releasing about 40,000 kilograms (90,000 lb) of gunpowder. The exact cause remains unclear, but it’s speculated that the inspector, perhaps foolishly, had a lantern with him when the blast happened.
The blast and subsequent fires ravaged a quarter of the city. Approximately 100 people were confirmed dead, although the true number of casualties remains uncertain, and thousands were injured. Many of the city's wooden homes, which had survived the initial blast, were consumed by the fires. Protestant preachers saw this calamity as a sign of the imminent End Times, spurred on by the growing influence of Catholics.
Carel Fabritius, a pupil of Rembrandt, tragically lost his life in the explosion. In an odd twist, one survivor was an infant, discovered an entire day after the blast. Remarkably, she was still sitting in her high chair, laughing and clutching an apple.
6. Black Thursday
In Australia, brush fires are not unusual, but in 1851, a deadly combination of soaring temperatures, extended dry periods, and the high gum resin content in native plants turned the Outback into a ticking time bomb. The devastating climax occurred on Black Thursday, February 6, when thick smoke from the fires completely darkened the sky.
Later reports revealed that Australia was not only ravaged by fires, but also by suffocating clouds of air that carried intense heat, flames, and choking sand. The Argus Newspaper vividly described the horrifying scene of men, women, and children struggling to escape on horseback, desperately trying to outrun the blazing inferno. Even regions spared from the flames endured unbearable heat and smoke, forcing many to stay indoors, hoping for a change in the wind direction to bring relief.
The extreme heat persisted for the remainder of the month. Watering holes, streams, and rivers had all but disappeared, leaving the landscape parched. completely gone.
5. The Cloquet Fire
The 1918 Cloquet Fire raged for just about 15 hours, but in that brief time, it claimed hundreds of lives and wiped out nearly 3,900 square kilometers (1,500 mi) of Minnesota's forest. In fact, it was more of a collection of around 50 fires, sparked by a deadly mix of strong winds, drought, dry timber, wood waste from the local lumber industry, and sparks from passing trains in the area.
The fire smoldered for a time before the destruction truly began, giving the residents of Cloquet enough time to escape the worst of the inferno. Over 7,000 people were safely transported by some of the very trains that had ignited the blaze.
By the time the flames reached Duluth, survival was largely a matter of chance, a terrifying scenario illustrated by this comparison: Even if the fastest sprinter in the world were given a 90-meter (300 ft) head start, they would be consumed by the fire in just 30 seconds. Some survivors drove their cars into Moose Lake and waited submerged. One schoolteacher managed to survive by retreating to a lakeside pier, where she poured water on the wooden surface to prevent it from catching fire.
4. The Peshtigo Fire
On October 8, 1871, five major fires erupted in the Great Lakes region. While the Chicago Fire is the most well-known, the deadliest was the Peshtigo Fire. Over 1.5 million acres were consumed—more than double the size of Rhode Island. The smoke from the fire was visible as far away as Baltimore, and the death toll ranged from 1,200 to 2,400 people. The town of Peshtigo was entirely wiped out in just one hour.
Survivors of the Peshtigo Fire described the flames moving with the fury of a tornado. Some attempted to flee on foot, only to be engulfed in flames as they ran. Others sought refuge in nearby water, only to succumb to hypothermia. A few, mistakenly believing it to be a tornado, took shelter in cellars and basements, where they perished from the unbearable heat. Some bodies were still being uncovered years later.
One survivor, a 21-year-old man, narrowly escaped death by an unexpected stroke of fate. Believing there was no chance of survival, he stabbed himself, but the knife was too short to end his life, and the flames passed him by.
3. The Great Hinckley Fire
In 1894, the Brennan Lumber Company was producing approximately 60,000 meters (200,000 ft) of board lumber daily. The dry wood, combined with sawdust and other debris, created a perfect storm for disaster. That disaster struck on September 1, when a spark ignited the dry materials, and by the time smaller fires merged and headed toward Hinckley—and the lumber company—the flames were already approaching from the east, south, and west. The flames soared as high as 60 meters (200 ft), claiming the lives of more than 400 people. Some victims were not discovered until 1898.
While some sought refuge in potato fields or fled to the Grindstone River, trains evacuated survivors from the burning town. As crowds of people desperately fled, pleading for aid from neighboring towns, Tommy Dunn, the telegraph operator at the St. Paul and Duluth Depot, remained at his post, continuing to monitor communications. His final message read, “I think I’ve stayed too long.” Tragically, he died in the blaze.
2. The Big Burn
Firefighter Joe Halm later described what happened on August 20, 1910, at his camp along Idaho’s St. Joe River: He remembered hearing something in the distance, likening it to a distant waterfall or windstorm. The sound was coming from overhead on wind that was rustling the treetops ever so slightly.
It was a wall of fire.
Halm and his crew of firefighters retreated to a creek, salvaging only some buckets of water. Miraculously, they were able to hold their ground as the forest around them burned.
They were experiencing part of the Big Burn (also called the Big Blowout or the Great Fire of 1910), which destroyed a huge part of Idaho and Montana during the final days of an incredibly dry summer. Around three million acres were consumed by flames that sometimes raced through the forest canopy before descending to the ground. The fires resulted in renewed funding for the US Forest Service.
1. The Great Fire Of Smyrna
The most widely accepted date for the beginning of the fire that destroyed all of Smyrna is September 13, 1922. The fire burned for nine days and forced around 400,000 Greek and Armenian citizens from their homes. Although Turkey still denies it, most historians agree that the fire was part of the genocide during the Greco-Turkish War. As the fires burned, the Turkish army continued their march through the city, killing as they went
It was against that backdrop that the most unlikely of heroes stepped up: Asa Jennings was a failed minister from Upstate New York who had taken a position with the Smyrna YMCA. When confronted with hundreds of thousands of citizens huddled along the coastline, Jennings, with the help of the US Navy’s Lieutenant Commander Halsey Powell, started securing ships to ferry the refugees to safety. The men are credited with saving around 250,000 lives, and their story was largely buried in the denial and finger-pointing that followed.
+Further Reading
Disasters go beyond just fires! Here’s a compilation of some of the most significant catastrophic events throughout history.
Top 10 Unbelievable Phenomena Linked to Tragic Disasters 10 Close Calls That Almost Shook the World 10 Major Natural Disasters Predicted for the Near Future 10 Horrific Natural Disasters That Time Has Almost Forgotten
