Peshtigo Fire 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 Michigan from Peshtigo), and Port Huron at the southern end of Lake Huron
The Great Fire of Key West so long and destroy so much of the city. Since 1875, the city had a serious fire department, organized first by A. H. Dorsett. However, at the time of the fire, the city's only steam fire engine had been sent to New York for repair. Firefighters were only able to use less effective measures like hand pumpers. Secondly, on the night when the fire occurred, strong winds were blowing, which caused the fire to start up again even where it appeared to have been put out. There is speculation that the fire was started on purpose by arsonists sent by