7/23/1984 Union Oil refinery fire killed seventeen, including ten members of the fire brigade, in Romeoville, IL. “Around 6:00 p.m. a refinery worker noticed vapors escaping from a hairline crack in a high-pressure, 55-foot tower filled with gas and tried to shut down the tank, … [Read more...]

7/22/1913 Binghamton Clothing Company factory fire killed thirty-one, many trapped on the fourth floor, in Binghamton, NY when workers, mostly women, initially refused to take the fire alarm seriously. About an hour after lunch a 111 people working in the brick, four-story … [Read more...]

7/21/1887 a Buffalo, NY firefighter died while fighting a fire at Box 232, Main and Goodell for the Ziegele Brewery at Washington and Virginia. “Engine 6 responded on the multiple Alarm as the blaze grew quickly. Firefighters bravely battled the flames as they threatened many … [Read more...]

7/20/1899 a Denver, Colorado firefighter “succumbed to injuries sustained while operating at the Western Chemical Company fire on June 18, 1899, at South Seventh and Bayaud. The fire started just before 6:00 p.m., billowing thick brown smoke from a storeroom. The storeroom … [Read more...]

7/19/1845 a Manhattan, New York firefighter died at “an early-morning blaze, which started in a sperm oil store, rapidly spread down New Street and across Exchange Place to Broad Street. When the fire reached a large warehouse, which contained a large quantity of saltpeter, it … [Read more...]

7/18/2001 the Howard Street Tunnel fire (also known as the Baltimore Freight Rail Crash) started after a 60-car CSX Transportation freight train derailment in a freight through-route tunnel under Howard Street in Baltimore, Maryland. The train consisted of 60 cars. Car numbers 46 … [Read more...]

7/17/1981 the Kansas City Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse killed 114 and injured over 200 after 2,000 people had gathered in the multistory atrium to watch a dance contest. The suspended concrete walkways on the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th floor were packed. A flawed design change doubled … [Read more...]

7/16/1884 a Toronto, Ontario, Canada firefighter died at “an alarm that was received around 10:30 p.m. from the T. Hall’s grocery store on Parliament and Sydenham Streets. Companies from the Eastern Section of Toronto responded at that time. Upon arrive, they found a fire in the … [Read more...]

7/15/1904 a Chicago, IL firefighter “died in the line of duty while fighting a 4-11 alarm fire in a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad grain elevator located at 87th Street and Ontario Avenue. The fire started when dust exploded inside the grain elevator, and the flames spread to more … [Read more...]

7/14/1874 the Second Great Fire Chicago, IL was reported around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. “It was raised near the corner of Clark and 12th Street (Roosevelt Road), just a few blocks south of the downtown business district. A fire had broken out, inauspiciously beginning the same way … [Read more...]