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
Great Atlanta fire of 1917 Midtown in the 2000s). Low-income housing developments were built in the destroyed extreme southern section and the areas south of North Avenue. Some around Boulevard and Highland were eventually developed as the campus for Atlanta Medical Center. Except for where single family homes were quickly rebuilt north of Ponce de Leon, the character of this large area of Atlanta was changed forever. The next U.S. fire of more significance wouldn't occur for more than 70 years: The Oakland Hills firestorm of 1991. Great Atlanta fire of 1917 The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 began just after noon on 21 May