List of fires in high rise buildings by year

[edit] Example of fires by year group

Below is a reverse timeline highlighting major fires involving cladding of different types that have occurred globally, some are high rise buildings some are not. Many of these examples mention specific cladding materials as being key contributing factors to the fire, whilst others cladding is mentioned, but not explicitly indicated as being responsible. This list is extensive but not exhaustive, as there are potentially many smaller fires that have not been well publicised. However with over 50 examples these highlight how many fires have taken place historically and as such that certainly some of the risks of said materials were known, they don't highlight why such materials continued to be used.

[edit] Fires between 2021-2025

1. 2025 November 27 - Wang Fuk Court fire of 2025; a large public housing complex in the Tai Po district, Hong Kong. A 1983 complex made up of eight towers, each 31 storeys high, 1,984 apartments and home to some 4,600 people with indication being over 50% of residents over 60. Seven towers were initially affected by the fire, which initial indication spread rapidly because of temporary cladding material and scaffold on the sides of the tower. Investigation continues, initial death count estimated at 128 people, swiftly rising to 151.
2. 2025 June 14 – Marina Pinnacle, Dubai, UAE A 67story residential tower fire lean on cladding; no reported injuries amongst nearly 4,000 evacuees.
3. 2024 February 22 – Valencia Residential Complex, Spain. 14-storey Alucobond ACM (polyethylene core) facade caught fire rapidly; 10 deaths, 15 injured
4. 2023 April 15 – AlRas Residential Building, Dubai, UAE. Fire spread via non-compliant ACM cladding; 16 deaths and 9 injuries.
5. 2021 - Torre dei Moro (Milan) & Torre Ambar (Madrid), Italy & Spain. Fires in ACM-clad towers widely reported; flames rapidly engulfed upper floors of both.

[edit] Fires between 2016-2020

1. 2020 - Chongqing fire, China. Ignited by flames from the balcony of the 2nd floor, and the flame spread upward to the 30th floor within just a few minutes.
2. 2019 June 9 – Samuel Garside House, Barking, London, UK. Woodclad balconies ignited from a barbecue, destroying 10 flats; no deaths, 2 injured. Although under 18m tall, combustible cladding contributed to rapid fire spread
3. 2019 November - Bolton Cube fire, UK. A smaller building (<18m) with combustible façade panels caught fire quickly. “The incident also brought home the danger of leaving flammable cladding on buildings.” 217 people escaped and there were no serious injuries. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-53597167
4. 2017 Cvjetno naselje student dormitory fire, Zagreb. Fire started on the roof of the lower building. Combustible thermal insulation of the façade system and a strong wind definitely contributed to the fast spread of flames and smoke on the façade. https://www.grad.unizg.hr/images/50014277/Fire%20Protection%20of%20Facades.pdf
5. 2017 July 14 – Marco Polo Condos, Honolulu, USA. High-rise fire damaged over 200 units; 4 deaths, 13 injured—cause undetermined but external factors suspected.
6. 2017 June 14 – Grenfell Tower, London, UK. A fridge fire escalated into a catastrophic blaze spread by polyethylene-core ACM cladding, killing 72 and injuring 74 (see [https://assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/INQ00014550_2021.02.12%20INQ%20Note%20Overview%20of%20LFB%20Disclosure%20-%20Other%20Fires%2C%20CP%20disclosure_0.pdf [1]]Grenfell Inquiry)
7. 2016 - Astar Court, Mount Pleasant Hill, E5 (listed by the [https://assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/INQ00014550_2021.02.12%20INQ%20Note%20Overview%20of%20LFB%20Disclosure%20-%20Other%20Fires%2C%20CP%20disclosure_0.pdf [2]]Grenfell Inquiry)
8. 2016 - Neo Soho, Jakarta. Spread up multiple floors during construction through ACM cladding.
9. 2016 - Ramat Gan high-rise, Israel. A minor internal fire rapidly spread externally via combustible insulation panels.

[edit] Fires between 2011-2025

1. 2015 - Sainsbury’s Distribution Centre, Charlton (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
2. 2015 - Balearic / Capital East Apartments, El6 (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
3. 2015 – The Address Downtown, Dubai, UAE. New Year’s Eve exterior cladding fire, 15 injured
4. 2015 – Marina Torch, Dubai, UAE. Blaze spread via ACM façade over 40 floors; no fatalities
5. 2015 - Baku residence building fire, Azerbaijan which resulted in 15 deaths (undated).
6. 2014 – Lacrosse Tower, Melbourne, Australia. Fire raced 13 storeys in 11 minutes up aluminium composite cladding; no deaths
7. 2013 - Dorrington Point, Bromley High St. (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
8. 2012 – Tecom Building, Dubai. ACM with polyethylene core fuelled a multi-floor blaze with falling debris causing street-level danger.
9. 2012 – Mermoz Tower, Roubaix, France. Flammable cladding led to fire spreading up the exterior, causing one death and six injuries.
10. 2012 Saif Belhasa Building, Dubai (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
11. 2012 – Tamweel Tower, Dubai, UAE. Cigarette started fire spread up flammable cladding to the top
12. 2012 Mennoz Tower, Roubaix, Prance (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
13. 2012 Al Baker Tower, Shaljah, UAE (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
14. 2012 – Al Tayer Tower, Sharjah. Fire started on the first floor external balcony, above eight parking levels, it spreadquickly up through the 33 floors above to the top of the 40-storey tower. The fire spread through the aluminium composite material (ACM) panels with a thermoplastic core. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-22346184
15. 2012 Polar Tower, Istanbul, Turkey. (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
16. 2011 - 5 low rise apartment buildings in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony. Fire started in two rubbish containers of a residentialcomplex, which spread through the buildings via the styrofoam EIFS and reached the timber roof trusses five buildings burned, 200 people were evacuated. https://www.daserste.de/information/wissen-kultur/w-wie-wissen/sendung/2011/fragwuerdig-polystyrol-fassaden-100.html
17. 2011 - Wanxin Complex Fire, Shenyang. Caused by fireworks close to the Complex, launched to celebrate the ChineseNew Year festival, particles from fireworks landed on 11th floor lower skirtings and ignited plastic grass which spreadvertically. The facade of the towers was cladded with aluminium panels and aluminium composite panels (ACM). For Tower A, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam was used as insulation and the cavity between the claddings and insulationvaried from 170 to 600 mm, for Tower B, XPS was used as insulation and the cavity ranged from 190 mm to 600 mm. Investigation showed that the XPS used for Tower B was tested to have combustibility of Class B2 and the combustibilityof the EPS used for Tower A was tested to be Class B1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813012940?via%3Dihub
18. 2011 - Atberstone Industrial Estate, Warwickshire (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
19. 2011 - Tideslea Tower, Thamestead, London (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
20. 2011 - Gillfoot tower block, Hampstead Road (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
21. 2011 - Andrew Reed House, Wandsworth (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
22. 2011 - Marine Towers, Deptford (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)

[edit] Fires between 2006-2010

1. 2010 - Madingley, Cambridge Road Estate, Kingston (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
2. 2010 - Pitman House, Depfford (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
3. 2010 - Marriott Hotel, Poplar, London (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
4. 2010 – Dijon apartment block, France. A fire that started in a garbage container, quickly spread vertically across the façade of a nine-floor hostel, with strong winds pushing the fire towards the facade. The cladding was a thermoplasticexpanded polystyrene (EPS) external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) or exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) with a masonry finish. The fire led to 7 deaths and 11 injuries many from toxic smoke inhalation. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356696970_Fire_Performance_of_EPS_ETICS_Facade_Effect_of_Test_Scale_and_Masonry_Cover
5. 2010 – Wooshin Golden Suites, Busan, South Korea. The building fwas clad with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding with a polyethylene core, with glass wool and polystyrene insulation. Caused by a spark from electrical outlet on the 4th floor, the fire rapidly spread up the facade, reaching the top of the tower within 20 minutes. Five injuries were reported. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813012940?via%3Dihub
6. 2010 Shanghai residential tower, China. Indication was that sparks from unlicensed welders working on the buildingignited polyurethane (PU) trimmings, then the bamboo scaffolding and boards around the structure. The combustiblecladding and the L shaped form caused rapid vertical spread, within 3 minutes, the fire reached the 20th and 21st floors, after 14 minutes the north facade had burnt and fire had spread into the apartments on floors 6th to 27th and onto the west and east facades along the envelope of the building. The fire killed 58 residents and injured 71. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813012940?via%3Dihub
7. 2009 - Beijing Television Cultural Centre fire. It was confirmed that the cause of fire was the illegal use of highly explosivefireworks near the construction to celebrate Chinese New Years. The fire which started from the roof spread to the top facade edge metal panels igniting the Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) foam insulation and water proof sheets underneath the panels. The titanium-zinc alloy was reported to melt at about 400 oC. Cavities exist between the metal panels and the insulations, the melting and burning drops of XPS flew down through the facades. The fire then propagated to the lower floors. Fed by high winds, completely engulfing the tower in less than 20 min. One firefighter was killed and a number of people injured.
8. 2009 – Lakanal House, Camberwell, London, UK. Fire caused by an electrical fault in a television on the ninth floor and rapidly spread through the cladding. The cladding product installed beneath the windows was high-pressure laminate(HPL) panels as part of a refurbishment project. The fire spread up the exterior cladding in 4½minutes, partly due to due to inadequate compartmentation as well as the combustible cladding and void behind. The fire resulted in six fatalities and numerous injuries.
9. 2009 Apartment block, Miskolc, Hungary. the fire started in a kitchen on the 6th floor of the 10 floors and spread vertically spread across ETICS façade to the roof. The building had ben refurbished in 2007 using an ETICS system with polystyrene insulation. Smoke quickly spread through the staircase and pipe shafts which had not been properly insulated and three people were killed..https://www.grad.unizg.hr/images/50014277/Fire%20Protection%20of%20Facades.pdf
10. 2009 - Longford Court, Pedro Street, London (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
11. 2007 Water Club Tower, Atlantic City, USA. (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)

[edit] Fires between 2001-2005

1. 2005 Apartment block Berlin-Pankow, Germany. Flames broke out of a cracked window, and ignited the inner core of the polystyrene-insulated EIFS facade of a residential complex. The investigation said the cladding had promoted fire but had met regulations. Two people were killed and many treated for inhalation of toxic fumes. https://www.daserste.de/information/wissen-kultur/w-wie-wissen/sendung/2011/fragwuerdig-polystyrol-fassaden-100.html
2. 2005 Harrow Court, Stevenage (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
3. 2005 Apartment block Berlin-moabit, Germany. A fire was started in a pram on the ground floor, which ignited others, the staircase filled with smoke, no cladding was involved as the fire was internal. The investigation indicated they should have stayed in the flats. 9 people died by suffocation trying to escape via the stairwell. https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/rauchfalle-treppenhaus-6589852.html
4. 2005 TOrTe Windsor, Madrid (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
5. 2004 The Edge, Manchester (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
6. 2003 Telstar House, London.

[edit] Fires between 1990-2000

1. 1992 Basingstoke (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
2. 1992 Paddington (listed by the Grenfell Inquiry)
3. 1991 Knowsley Heights, Liverpool - A fire of the rubbish in an external storage was started deliberately, at the building'sbase, it spread rapidly through GRP cladding, and lack of fire barriers within the cavity between the cladding and the building's walls. The fire rapidly engulfed the north side but no fatalities occurred. According to the BBC, the fire at Knowsley Heights involved cladding panels made by Arconic, the same company that manufactured the cladding used on Grenfell Tower. The refurbishment was funding by a government pilot scheme for cladding Housing Management Estates Action and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) had previously assessed the cladding and concluded that it did not pose a significant risk unless there were large cavities that could aid fire spread. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17g1wx4wlno

--editor

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