As of 2026-10-12, Peshtigo fire tops the list with 1,152 deaths.
- #1 Peshtigo fire — 1,152 deaths
forest fire
The Peshtigo Fire was a wildfire on October 8, 1871, in northeastern Wisconsin, United States, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula and adjacent parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest community in the affected area was Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which had a population of approximately 1,700 residents. The fire burned about 1.2 million acres (490,000 ha) and is the deadliest wildfire in recorded history, with the number of deaths estimated between 1,500 and 2,500.... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 Great Hinckley Fire — 418 deaths
1894 forest fire in Minnesota, U.S.
The Great Hinckley Fire was a conflagration in the pine forests of the U.S. state of Minnesota that ignited on September 1, 1894, which burned an area of at least 200,000 acres, including the town of Hinckley. The official death count was 418; the actual number of fatalities was likely higher. Other sources put the death toll at 476. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 2017 Pedrógão Grande Wildfire — 389 deaths
Portuguese wildfires in June 2017
A series of four initial deadly wildfires erupted across central Portugal in the afternoon of 17 June 2017 within minutes of each other, resulting in at least 66 deaths and 204 injured people. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Miramichi Fire — 300 deaths
forest fire in New Brunswick, Canada in 1825
The 1825 Miramichi Fire, or Great Miramichi Fire, or Great Fire of Miramichi, as it came to be known, was a massive forest fire complex that devastated forests and communities throughout much of northern New Brunswick in October 1825. It ranks among the three largest forest fires ever recorded in North America. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Thumb Fire — 282 deaths
1881 wildfire in Michigan, United States
The Thumb Fire took place on September 5, 1881, in the Thumb area of Michigan in the United States. The fire, which burned over a million acres (4,000 km2) in less than a day, was the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and ecological damage wrought by the era's logging techniques. The blaze, also called the Great Thumb Fire, the Great Forest Fire of 1881 and the Huron Fire, killed 282 people in Sanilac, Lapeer, Tuscola and Huron... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 2024 South American wildfires — 148 deaths
Massive international wildfires occurring in the Amazon and Páramo areas
The 2024 South American wildfires refer to a mega colossal series of wildfires that significantly impacted several neighboring South American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Based on Global Wildfire Information System satellite imaging, about 346,112 wildfire hotspots damaged or destroyed 85,866,867 hectares. The massive area burned was primarily caused by anthropogenic climate change and the resulting consequences of the 2023–2024 South American... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Wildfires in Chile of 2024 — 124 deaths
incident that affected the central and southern areas of Chile during February 2024
In February 2024, a series of wildfires broke out in Chile, affecting multiple regions including Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Maule, Biobío, and Los Lagos. The most severe incidents occurred in the Valparaíso Region as of 5 February 2024. The Chilean government labeled the fires as the country's worst disaster since the 2010 Chile earthquake, and declared a two-day national mourning period. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 2023 Hawaii wildfires — 111 deaths
2023 wildfires in the state of Hawaii
The 2023 Hawaii wildfires were a series of wildfires that broke out in early August 2023 in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations and caused widespread damage, killing at least 102 people and leaving two people missing in the town of Lahaina on Maui's northwest coast. The proliferation of the wildfires was attributed to dry, gusty conditions created by a strong high-pressure area north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Great Fire of 1910 — 87 deaths
wildfire in the northwestern United States in the summer of 1910
The Great Fire of 1910 was a wildfire in the Inland Northwest region of the United States which burned three million acres in Northern Idaho and Western Montana in the summer of 1910, with extensions into Eastern Washington and Southeast British Columbia. The area burned included large parts of the Bitterroot, Cabinet, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Flathead, Kaniksu, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, Lolo, and St. Joe national forests. The fire burned over two days on the weekend of August 20–21, after... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Camp Fire — 86 deaths
2018 wildfire in Northern California
The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California's Butte County was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The blaze began on the morning of November 8, 2018 when hardware on a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failed during strong katabatic winds. Those winds rapidly drove the Camp Fire through the communities of Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon and Paradise, mostly destroying them. The fire burned... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata