Peshtigo Fire resulted in death tolls comparable to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peshtigo Fire The Peshtigo fire was a very large forest fire that took place on October 8, 1871, in and around Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It burned approximately 1,200,000 acres (490,000 ha) and was the deadliest wildfire in American history, with the estimated deaths of around 1,500 people, and possibly as many as 2,500. Occurring on the same day as the more famous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo fire has been largely forgotten. On the same day as the Peshtigo and Chicago fires, Holland and Manistee, Michigan (across Lake
Port Huron Fire of 1871 erupted in Illinois, and the Peshtigo Fire burned a large tract in Wisconsin, including the city of Peshtigo. Windsor, Ontario met a similar fate four days later. Much of the area burned by the Port Huron Fire was swept by another deadly conflagration 10 years later, under similar conditions. Port Huron Fire of 1871 The Port Huron Fire of Sunday October 8, 1871 (one of a series of fires known collectively as the Great Fire of 1871 or the Great Michigan Fire) burned a number of cities including White Rock and Port Huron, and much of the countryside in the