The following is a list of fires in high-rise buildings. A skyscraper fire or high-rise fire is a class of structural fire specific to tall buildings. Skyscraper fires are technically challenging for fire departments: they require unusually high degrees of organization and cooperation between participating firefighting units to contain and extinguish. Skyscraper fires are often multiple-alarm fires.

Notable fires

BuildingHeight (m)CityCountryDateDeath(s)Notes
Central Tower91 mSan FranciscoUnited StatesApril 18, 1906?Burned in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
Merchants Exchange Building69 m
Old Chronicle Building95 m
Mutual Bank Building
Asch Building48 mNew York City1911-03-25 March 25, 1911146Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
The Sherry-Netherland171 mApril 12, 19270Occurred during construction
Empire State Building381 mJuly 28, 194514Plane crash due to thick fog
40 Wall Street283 mMay 20, 19465Plane crash
La Salle HotelChicagoJune 5, 194661Likely an electrical fire
Winecoff Hotel59 mAtlantaDecember 7, 1946119Deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history
Ronan Point64 mLondonUnited KingdomMay 16, 19684Gas explosion caused partial collapse of the highrise.
1 New York Plaza192 mNew York CityUnited StatesAugust 5, 19702Sparked from a faulty computer connection
Taeyongak Hotel72.6 mSeoulSouth KoreaDecember 25, 1971163Daeyeonggak Hotel fire, deadliest hotel fire in history
Andraus Building115 mSão PauloBrazilFebruary 24, 197216Sparked from an electrical overload
Rault TowerNew OrleansUnited StatesNovember 29, 19726Suspected arson
Avianca Building161 mBogotáColombiaJuly 23, 19734Sparked on the 14th floor
City-Haus142 mFrankfurtWest GermanyFebruary 1, 19740Occurred during construction
Joelma Building82.5 mSão PauloBrazilFebruary 1, 1974184179–189, Joelma fire
1 World Trade Center417 mNew York CityUnited StatesFebruary 13, 19750Arson
Campbell Shopping Complex66 mKuala LumpurMalaysiaApril 8, 19761Campbell Shopping Complex fire
Bank BumiputraKuala LumpurNovember 4, 1980?
MGM Grand Hotel85.8 mLas VegasUnited StatesNovember 21, 198084MGM Grand fire
Las Vegas Hilton114 mLas VegasFebruary 10, 19818Arson
Torre Santa MaríaSantiagoChileMarch 21, 198111Occurred when carpet glue ignited during carpet installation.
Al Rasheed Hotel59.4 mBaghdadIraqJuly 21, 19821Plane crash-Suicide by F-4 Phantom during Iran-Iraq War
Northwestern National Bank52.8 mMinneapolisUnited StatesNovember 25, 19820Minneapolis Thanksgiving Day fire
KOMTAR248.7 mPenangMalaysiaJanuary 23, 19830Likely occurred due to welding sparks
Prudential Tower276 mBostonUnited StatesJanuary 2, 19830A nine-alarm fire in the building spread because of the lack of a sprinkler system.
Dupont Plaza Hotel74 mCondadoPuerto RicoDecember 31, 198697Dupont Plaza Hotel arson
Schomburg PlazaNew York CityUnited StatesMarch 22, 19877Ignited from the plaza's trash compactor room
Hotel International85 mZurichSwitzerlandFebruary 14, 19886Deadliest high-rise fire in Swiss history
First Interstate Tower261.52 mLos AngelesUnited StatesMay 4, 19881First Interstate Tower fire
Peachtree 25th Building33 mAtlantaJune 30, 19895Peachtree 25th Building fire
One Meridian Plaza150 mPhiladelphiaFebruary 23, 19913Occurred when rags ignited, fire spread uncontrollably after all fire protection systems failed. Later torn down.
UNITIC Twin Towers105.5 mSarajevoBosnia and HerzegovinaMay 28, 1992*Burned after being repeatedly hit by Serbian incendiary tank shells.
Executive Council Building69.3 mMay 28, 1992*Burned after being repeatedly hit by Serbian incendiary tank shells.
Groeneveen and Kruitberg33 mAmsterdamNetherlandsOctober 4, 199243El Al Flight 1862 plane crash, Partial collapse
1 World Trade Center417 mNew York CityUnited StatesFebruary 26, 19936Bombing which also resulted in 1,042 smoke related injuries
Stratosphere Tower350.2 mLas VegasAugust 30, 19930Occurred during construction
White House (Moscow)119 mMoscowRussiaOctober 8, 1993147Caught fire from tank shelling during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis
Hotel Olympik73 mPragueCzech RepublicMay 25, 19958Occurred on the 11th floor within a janitor's closet
Tower 42183 mLondonUnited KingdomJanuary 17, 19960Occurred during refurbishment
Garley Building52.8 mHong KongBritish Hong KongNovember 20, 1996411996 Garley Building fire
Ušće Tower115 mBelgradeSerbia and MontenegroApril 21, 19990Struck by NATO air strikes during the Kosovo War setting the upper floors on fire.
Immigration Tower181 mHong KongHong KongAugust 2, 20002Arson
Ostankino Tower540.1 mMoscowRussiaAugust 27, 20003Tallest structure in Europe
1 and 2 World Trade Center417 m / 415.1 mNew York CityUnited StatesSeptember 11, 20012,312Part of the September 11 attacks. One hijacked airliner was deliberately flown into each of the skyscrapers. Both towers experienced a total structural failure within two hours of the plane impacts. Tallest buildings to ever be destroyed.
7 World Trade Center190 m0Caused by debris from the collapse of Building 1 (North Tower) of the World Trade Center, resulting in this building also collapsing.
90 West Street98.76 m2Caused by debris from the collapse of Building 2 (South Tower) of the World Trade Center
130 Cedar Street50 m0Caused by debris from the collapse of Building 2 (South Tower) of the World Trade Center
Pirelli Tower127 mMilanItalyApril 18, 20023Plane crash
Cook County Administration BuildingChicagoUnited StatesOctober 17, 20036Seven other seriously injured, fire thought to have been arson
Al Rasheed Hotel59.4 mBaghdadIraqDecember 26, 20031Twenty-eight 68 mm and 85 mm Katyusha rockets were fired at and struck the hotel
Parque Central Complex east tower255 mCaracasVenezuelaOctober 17, 20040Damage to 34th-44th floors
LaSalle National Bank Building163.1 mChicagoUnited StatesDecember 7, 2004025 injured
Harrow Court56.1 mHertfordshireUnited KingdomFebruary 2, 20053Harrow Court fire
Windsor Tower106 mMadridSpainFebruary 12, 20050Partially collapsed; subsequently demolished
Tohid Town Residential33 mTehranIranDecember 6, 2005106Plane crash: 2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash
Transport Tower112.2 mAstanaKazakhstanMay 30, 20060Fire destroyed upper floors of 34-story government building
Belaire Apartments156 mNew York CityUnited StatesOctober 11, 20062Plane crash
Fortune TowerDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesJanuary 18, 20074Occurred during construction, 57 injured
Shanghai World Financial Center494.3 mShanghaiChinaAugust 14, 20070Occurred on 40th floor during construction
Deutsche Bank Building157.6 mNew York CityUnited StatesAugust 18, 20072Occurred during dismantling, demolished due to damage from the September 11 attacks
The Water Club125.4 mAtlantic CitySeptember 23, 20070Occurred during construction.
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino110 mLas VegasJanuary 25, 20080Fire affecting top six floors
TU Delft Faculteitsgebouw Bouwkunde56 mDelftThe NetherlandsApril 13, 20080A broken water pipe on the 8th floor caused a short circuit in a coffee machine a floor below, resulting in a fire. The building was demolished afterwards.
Abraj Al Bait Towers601 mMeccaSaudi ArabiaOctober 28, 20080Occurred during construction; fire consumed nine floors
Beijing Television Cultural Center159 mBeijingChinaFebruary 9, 20091Beijing Television Cultural Center fire
Bashundhara City Tower62.7 mDhakaBangladeshMarch 13, 20094
Abraj Al Bait TowersMeccaSaudi ArabiaMay 1, 20090Occurred during construction
Lakanal House46.2 mLondonUnited KingdomJuly 3, 20096Lakanal House fire
Rabobank Bestuurscentrum105 mUtrechtNetherlandsJune 27, 20100Occurred on the 25th and 26th floor during the construction. The exact cause of the fire has never been identified.
Wooshin Golden SuitesBusanSouth KoreaSeptember 1, 20100Wooshin Golden Suites fire
Dijon residential complex79.2 mDijonFranceOctober 14, 20107
Unnamed high-rise apartment block85 mShanghaiChinaNovember 15, 201058Occurred during renovation; 2010 Shanghai fire
Dynasty Wanxin building complex Towers A and B (Tower C was unaffected)ShenyangFebruary 3, 20110Started from fireworks during Chinese New Year Celebrations.
EVN Headquarters Tower 1147 mHanoiVietnamDecember 16, 20110Fire occurred during construction, 11 workers injured.
Uncompleted high rise blockKuala LumpurMalaysiaJanuary 18, 20120
Fico PlaceBangkokThailandMarch 3, 20120Two firemen injured
Federation Tower (East Tower)450 mMoscowRussiaApril 2, 20120Occurred while the building was under construction
Al Tayer TowerSharjahUnited Arab EmiratesApril 28, 20120
Polat Tower Residence140 mIstanbulTurkeyJuly 17, 20120
Tamweel Tower160 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesNovember 18, 20120
Oko Tower 1354.1 mMoscowRussiaJanuary 25, 20130Fire occurred on 24th floor during construction, one worker was injured.
Torre Ejecutiva Pemex Tower214 mMexico CityMexicoJanuary 31, 201333Gas explosion affecting the main building's 14-story annex Torre Ejecutiva Pemex explosion
Grozny-City Towers150 mGroznyRussiaApril 3, 20130[citation needed]
Guangzhou Jianye Building FireGuangzhouChinaApril 3, 20130
The StrandNew York CityUnited StatesJanuary 5, 20141
One57306 mNew York CityUnited StatesMarch 14, 20140Fire broke out in the loading dock, then spread to the courtyard and a neighboring property.
Mermoz Tower52.8 mRoubaixFranceMay 14, 20120
Lotus Park buildingMumbaiIndiaJuly 18, 20141
Lacrosse ApartmentsMelbourneAustraliaNovember 25, 20140Fire started on an 8th floor balcony and rapidly spread up the facade cladding.
The Wedgwood30 mCastle HillsUnited StatesDecember 28, 20145The fire occurred on one wing of the third floor causing extensive smoke damage.
The Marina Torch336.8 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesFebruary 21, 20150At least 7 people were injured.
Wisma KosgoroJakartaIndonesiaMarch 10, 20150Fire destroyed floors 16–20.
Franklin Tower, 100-101 Terr. Boieldieu, Tower A120 mPuteaux, ParisFranceMarch 17, 20150Unstated cause, ignition on 40th flr in technical room, contained by 30 firefighters via internal wet column (a pressurized vertical pipe).
Unnamed HighriseBakuAzerbaijanMay 19, 201516See 2015 Baku residence building fire
Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas184 mLas VegasUnited StatesJuly 25, 20150Fire occurred on the pool deck fueled by cabanas and artificial trees; two people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Unnamed Residential TowerSharjahUnited Arab EmiratesOctober 1, 20150Fire burned building facade, 19 treated for smoke inhalation.
John Hancock Center457 mChicagoUnited StatesNovember 21, 20150A two-alarm fire broke out on the 50th floor. Five injured.
The Address Downtown Dubai306.2 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesDecember 31, 20151Occurred on New Year's Eve, 14 injured.
Tour Anvers (in Les Olympiades residential complex)104 mParisFranceJanuary 12, 2016116th of 31 flrs, contained to apt without spreading, 1 killed, 31-year-old woman with muscle disability.
An unidentified tower on avenue Romain-Rolland33 mSaint-DenisFranceJanuary 13, 20161
158 bd Davout21 mParis 20eFranceJune 1, 201613rd through 7th of 7 flrs, 8 injured.
Sulafa Tower288 mDubaiUAEJuly 20, 20160
Plasco Building42 mTehranIranJanuary 19, 201721The 17-story building collapsed after a fire started on the ninth floor. Seventy injured.
Grenfell Tower79.2 mLondonUnited KingdomJune 14, 201772The 24-storey tower block fire spread from the second floor to the top of the building. See Grenfell Tower fire
Pamchal Chitgar Building66 mTehranIranJune 14, 20170The residential 20-storey tower – four injured
Marco Polo Apartments118.8 mHonoluluUnited StatesJuly 14, 20173Blaze started on the 26th floor of the 36-story apartments. Fire quickly spread to three more floors, making it a 5-alarm fire. This is the deadliest high-rise fire in Hawaii's history.
Rotana Hotel Building66 mMashhadIranJuly 22, 20170Under construction 20-storey hotel
The Marina Torch336.8 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesAugust 4, 20170
Trump Tower202 mNew York CityUnited StatesApril 7, 201816 firefighters injured
Almas Tower360 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesApril 30, 20180
Trump International Hotel and Tower (Baku)108.9 mBakuAzerbaijanApril 30, 20180Involved two separate fires the same day
Wilton Paes de Almeida Building79.2 mSão PauloBrazilApril 30, 201887–9, building collapsed shortly after blaze
Paramis Building69.3 mTehranIranJuly 22, 2018021-storey residential building
Bank of Lisbon building108 mJohannesburgSouth AfricaSeptember 6, 20183Building demolished/Imploded on November 24, 2019
FR TowerDhakaBangladeshMarch 28, 201925FR Tower fire
AXA Equitable Center229.3 mNew York CityUnited StatesJune 10, 201912019 New York City helicopter crash
Unnamed Highrise47.9 mPrešovSlovakiaDecember 6, 20198Natural gas explosion, 40 injuries
Abbco Tower190 mSharjahUnited Arab EmiratesMay 5, 2020125 injuries, likely started by a discarded cigarette or shisha coals
Tower block at 1158 Nerudova street42.9 mCzech RepublicCzech RepublicAugust 8, 202011Bohumín arson attack
Ulsan Samhwan Art Nouveau apartment building108.9 mSouth KoreaSouth KoreaOctober 9, 2020092 residents and 1 firefighter injured. Ulsan Samhwan Art Nouveau Fire[ko]
Helsinki Tower, 50 rue du Disque~100 mParisFranceAugust 13, 2021118th of 33 flrs, apt possibly linked to Diogenes syndrome (hoarding), spread prevented via compartmentation, contained after 2 hrs, ~70 firefighters, 2 hoses, 1 killed (carbonized body), 4 injured (2 were firefighters with heatstroke).
Torre dei Moro60 mMilanItalyAugust 29, 20210Fire event similar to the Grenfell Tower disaster
Cheng Chung Cheng BuildingKaohsiungTaiwanOctober 14, 2021462021 Kaohsiung tower fire
World Trade Centre Hong KongHong KongHong KongDecember 15, 2021013 injured, over 300 trapped on roof
Twin Parks North West, Site 4New York CityUnited StatesJanuary 9, 2022172022 Bronx apartment fire
Lotus Garden China Telecom Building218 mChangsha, HunanChinaSeptember 16, 20220(fire extinguished. Under investigation.)
The Centaurus110 mIslamabadPakistanOctober 9, 202202022 The Centaurus Mall Fire Incident
Elite Concept80 mİstanbulTurkeyOctober 15, 20220Originated from external cladding.
RiverCourt108.1 mNew York CityUnited StatesNovember 5, 20220
8 Boulevard Walk123 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesNovember 7, 20220
Jixiangyuan community~60 m (21 floors)ÜrümqiChinaNovember 26, 2022112022 Ürümqi fire
The Kimpton175 mHong KongHong KongMarch 2, 20230Occurred during construction
Unnamed Apartment BlockHanoiVietnamSeptember 12, 2023562023 Hanoi building fire
Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower65.72 mKhartoumSudanSeptember 17, 2023?Occurred during War in Sudan (2023)
Unnamed HighriseValènciaSpainFebruary 22, 2024102024 València residential complex fire
Unnamed HighriseNanjingChinaFebruary 23, 2024152024 Nanjing building fire
Green Cozy Cottage Shopping MallDhakaBangladeshFebruary 29, 2024462024 Dhaka Bailey Road fire
TverRussiaMarch 14, 20240Occurred during construction
Botanik Torre FloraRecifeBrazilMarch 28, 20240Occurred during construction
Asia of Ivry (fr, Asie d'Ivry)21 mParisFranceSeptember 17, 20240Wholesaler Chinese Pastry, 50 Av. de la Prte d'Ivry, 7th flr (attic)
The 12th District Town Hall36 mParisFranceJanuary 27, 20250Top flrs, possible electrical short in attic, 150 firefighters saved main structure, tower stabilized after collapse risk.
Grand Kartal Hotel43.50 mBoluTurkeyJanuary 21, 2025792025 Kartalkaya hotel fire
Marina Pinnacle280 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesJune 13, 20250
18 Jardin de Guillaume Bouzignac/18 Mail Gustave Flaubert60 mTours, Indre-et-LoireFranceOctober 10, 20251
Tuzla Retirement HomeTuzlaBosnia and HerzegovinaNovember 4, 202517Tuzla retirement home fire
Vjesnik BuildingZagrebCroatiaNovember 17, 20250Fire started at the 15th floor by high school students. The building was vacant at the time of the fire, and will be demolished.
Wang Fuk Court93-108.5 mTai PoHong KongNovember 26, 2025168Wang Fuk Court fire Deadliest apartment fire in history[citation needed]
11 Thorncliffe Park DriveTorontoCanadaNovember 27, 20250Stubborn 5-alarm fire burning inside walls and electrical conduit. All 408 units evacuated.
Era View TowerManamaBahrainFebruary 28, 20260Fire following an Iranian suicide drone attack
Burj Al Arab321 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesMarch 1, 20260Fire following an Iranian suicide drone attack
PIFSS HeadquartersKuwait CityKuwaitMarch 8, 20260Fire following an Iranian suicide drone attack
Address Grand Creek Harbour Tower 2266 mDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesMarch 11, 20260Fire following an Iranian suicide drone attack
6 East 43rd StreetNew York CityUnited StatesMarch 17, 20260Fire started in an HVAC system on the roof. Building was in the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade's route.
Total (minus deaths caused by September 11)2072
  • During the violent civil war the building was likely vacated before the shelling that started the fires.

Gallery

See also

External links

  • "", The Citizen, Eric Naki, August 29, 2019
  • "", BBC NEWS, February 13, 2005
  • "", BBC NEWS, October 18, 2004
  • "", highrisefirefighting.co.uk
  • "", YouTube, Voice of America, November 24, 2019