For St. John's, it would be definitely be one of the fires. The main two were the Great First of 1846, which destroyed most of the city; the Great Fire of 1892, which destroyed much of what was by that time a far larger and more prosperous city, so the loss was greater and it also claimed the lives of four women.
The 1892 fire received worldwide coverage, and quotes published in the newspapers included the poetic line:
Quote:
"Of the whole easterly section, scarcely a building remained. Of the costly and imposing structures and public buildings which were the pride and glory of the people, scarcely a vestige remained; and St. John's lay in the morning as a city despoiled of her beauty, her choicest ornaments, presenting a picture of utter desolation and woe."
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Great Fire of 1892, Memorial University Archives
For Newfoundland as a whole, the deadliest natural disaster was definitely the Burin tsunami. It killed 29 people, and the death toll would have been considerably higher except a visiting professional knew what it meant when the waters suddenly receded and warned residents of the larger towns to seek higher ground. It's still the deadliest earthquake-related event in modern Canadian history (ones on the west coast definitely killed hundreds more prior to the arrival of Europeans).
The costliest was certainly Hurricane Igor, which claimed one life.
In the realm of accidental and warfare-related disasters, the sinking of the S.S. Caribou by Nazi U-boats, the bombing of Bell Island by U-boats, and especially the Knights of Columbus Hostel Fire were all far deadlier. The latter happened to take place in a dance hall where a concert was being broadcast live over the radio. Residents of the city heard the young men and women dying.
Industrial disasters I'd count the Ocean Ranger in there, as well as all the sealing-related tragedies. They weren't as deadly as the Knights of Columbus fire, but close.