Special Report

20 Most Catastrophic Fires and Explosions in American History

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

15. The New London School explosion
> Est. casualties: 294
> Location: New London, TX
> Date: March 18, 1937

Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

14. The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
> Est. casualties: 315
> Location: San Francisco, CA
> Date: April 18, 1906

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

13. The Ohio State Penitentiary fire
> Est. casualties: 320
> Location: Columbus, OH
> Date: April 21, 1930

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

12. The Port Chicago disaster
> Est. casualties: 322
> Location: Port Chicago, CA
> Date: July 17, 1944

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

11. The Hoboken Docks fire
> Est. casualties: 326
> Location: Hoboken, NJ
> Date: June 30, 1900

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