The most famous fires in history
The top 3 according to 0 votes from people: Jerusalem (587 BC) · Persepolis (330 BC) · Carthage (146 BC). (Updated Nov 25, 2025.)
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?
Automatically translated (original in Русский). See the original
Top 15
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1
Jerusalem (587 BC)
The Babylonians burned the city.
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2
Persepolis (330 BC)
Burned by Alexander the Great's army.
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3
Carthage (146 BC)
The Romans burned the city to the ground.
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4
Londinium (AD 60)
Queen Boudica burned the settlement; the ash layer can still be seen.
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5
The Great Fire of Rome (AD 64)
It burned for days and destroyed much of the city.
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6
Istanbul (1660)
Two thirds of the city burned, with some 40,000 dead.
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7
The Great Fire of London (1666)
It started in a bakery on Pudding Lane; some 13,000 houses and St Paul's Cathedral burned.
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8
The Fire of Moscow (1812)
Moscow was set alight so that Napoleon could not have it.
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9
The Great Chicago Fire (1871)
Some 300 dead and 100,000 left homeless.
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10
Peshtigo (1871)
A Wisconsin wildfire that killed 1,500 to 2,500 people: the deadliest in US history.
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11
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (1911)
146 dead in New York; it changed labour laws.
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12
The Great Kantō earthquake (1923)
Fires after the earthquake in Tokyo and Yokohama; more than 140,000 dead.
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13
Hamburg (1943)
A firestorm after the bombing raids.
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14
Dresden (1945)
Bombing and fires, some 25,000 dead.
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15
Texas City (1947)
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.
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