Top 5 Most Devastating City Fires In History

Many species of the native Australian eucalyptus tree have developed a type of fire resistance. The tree can be largely burnt to the ground, and yet it can regenerate itself, slowly grow back from the tree itself, rather than from a seed. Great cities regenerate themselves in a similar manner after great fires. No matter how devastating the disaster was, the greatest centers of culture, commerce and industry always recover. Here is a list of the biggest fires in recorded history cities had to deal with.

1 The Great Fire of Rome – 19 July AD64

Conspiracy theories have existed since the beginning of time, and they were already in full swing by AD64. The rumors went that Emperor Nero (who wasn’t exactly loved by the people) had arranged the fires himself to clear “undesirables” from the land where he wanted to build a new palace. It was also speculated that the city was torched by Christians in response to their persecution. In any event, out of Rome’s fourteen districts, three were totally destroyed, and seven were heavily damaged.

image from Wikipedia

2 The Great Fire of London – 1 September to 5 September 1666

Much of London’s population vanished without a trace after the 1666 fire consumed most of the city. There were only 80,000 people living in the city then, and 70,000 lost their homes. It is not known how many of them died in the fire and how many had time to flee their homes. Due to a well-established class system, the deaths of peasants and the lower classes weren’t considered important enough to record, and so most of those who died in the fire were just ignored, with their remains left in burnt out buildings that were later cleared out and built upon once again.

3 The Great Fire of Chicago – October 8 to October 10 1871

As the weather grew cold in October 1871, the city of Chicago was emerging from a long hot summer and drought, which left much of the city’s buildings very dry, meaning that the fire that started in a small barn on DeKoven Street quickly engulfed most of the central city, destroying more than 2000 acres. 300 people lost their lives, and a huge number were left homeless.

4 The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire – April 18 1906

There was no mystery about the cause of the fires that destroyed much of San Francisco in 1906: an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the richer scale struck the city at 5:12 AM, causing widespread destruction. The fires that broke out in the aftermath of the quake destroyed most of what was left, and made rescue efforts impossible. When the smoke cleared, it was discovered that more than 80% of the central city had been destroyed.

Image from Wikipedia

5 The Lagos Armoury Explosion – 27 January 2002

The improper storage and maintenance of explosive devices was the cause of this massive explosion in the Nigerian capital. The initial explosion was devastating enough, and the subsequent fire killed more than 1100 people, destroying a huge section of the city. It took more than 24 hours to bring the fire under control, but the damage had already been done.

About the author: This is a list by freelance writer Claire Wilson for www.homeownersinsurance.com. Claire usually covers history, culture and lifestyle. Feel free to contact her with ideas or just to say hello via G+.