# The most famous fires in history

The burning of Rome under Nero, the Great Fire of London that started in a bakery, Moscow in 1812, burned so Napoleon could not have it, and Chicago in 1871: the fires that destroyed cities and changed history. Which was the most terrible?

- 0 votes · 15 items
- Nov 25, 2025 · Maria Novikova
- https://even.best/en/l/3868/the-most-famous-fires-in-history

## Top 15

1. **Jerusalem (587 BC)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Babylonians burned the city.
2. **Persepolis (330 BC)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Burned by Alexander the Great's army.
3. **Carthage (146 BC)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Romans burned the city to the ground.
4. **Londinium (AD 60)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Queen Boudica burned the settlement; the ash layer can still be seen.
5. **The Great Fire of Rome (AD 64)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — It burned for days and destroyed much of the city.
6. **Istanbul (1660)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Two thirds of the city burned, with some 40,000 dead.
7. **The Great Fire of London (1666)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — It started in a bakery on Pudding Lane; some 13,000 houses and St Paul's Cathedral burned.
8. **The Fire of Moscow (1812)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Moscow was set alight so that Napoleon could not have it.
9. **The Great Chicago Fire (1871)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Some 300 dead and 100,000 left homeless.
10. **Peshtigo (1871)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A Wisconsin wildfire that killed 1,500 to 2,500 people: the deadliest in US history.
11. **The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (1911)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 146 dead in New York; it changed labour laws.
12. **The Great Kantō earthquake (1923)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Fires after the earthquake in Tokyo and Yokohama; more than 140,000 dead.
13. **Hamburg (1943)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A firestorm after the bombing raids.
14. **Dresden (1945)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Bombing and fires, some 25,000 dead.
15. **Texas City (1947)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — An explosion and fire in the port, at least 581 dead.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.