32. Plasco Building, Iran
Built: 1962
Collapsed: 2017
Est. Damages: $20-$30 million*
The Plasco Building was a seventeen-story high rise in Tehran, Iran. It was a landmark building in the capital city, and, when it was built in the 1960s, it was the tallest building in the country and an iconic part of the city’s skyline. The Plasco Building stood until 2017 when a fire broke out on the ninth floor.
Plasco Building, Iran @assassin1un / Pinterest.com
At the time, Plasco was occupied by workers, residents, and tour groups. It took hours to stop the fire, but, before firefighters could do so, the north wall of the building suddenly collapsed. The rest of the building followed seconds later. There were dozens of firefighters killed, and more than seventy people were injured. The building’s vertical collapse meant that there was only minimal damage to surrounding structures.