Burning of Smyrna

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The burning of Smyrna destroyed much of the port city of Smyrna (modern İzmir, Turkey) in September 1922. The fire started on 13 September 1922 and was largely extinguished on 22 September. It began four days after the Turkish military captured the city on 9 September, effectively ending the Greco-Turkish War, more than three years after the Greek landing of troops at Smyrna. Greek and Armenian deaths resulting from the fire and the ensuing massacres were in the tens or hundreds of thousands. The fire completely destroyed the Greek and Armenian quarters of the city; the Muslim and Jewish quarters escaped damage. The Western European quarter, home to Italian, French, British, and American residents, was also destroyed. Approximately 80,000 to 400,000 Greek and Armenian refugees crammed the waterfront to escape from the fire. They were forced to remain there under harsh conditions for nearly two weeks. Turkish troops and irregulars had started committing massacres and atrocities against the...

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