A pall had settled over the land for weeks – a stillness accompanied by a haze from small fires that had been burning for weeks, giving the entire region west of Green Bay an eerie otherworldly feeling. A drought worse than any in memory had turned the lush forests into kindling that seemed ready to burst into flames at any moment.

So oppressive was the smoldering and lingering smoke that preachers in the area are said to have preached many sermons on hell and damnation. If true, one cannot help but think that moods were dour and perhaps even fearful.

The Chicago Fire

If someone were to ask you what the worst fire in the history of the United States was, what would you say? Most would remember the Chicago fire of 1871. 

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In some ways it was. The destruction of personal property was incredible. Many lost fortunes as the industrial and dock area was devastated. 

Over three square miles of the city was consumed, taking some 300 lives and leaving more than a third of the city’s 300,000 people homeless. Only about 120 bodies were recovered.

Less significantly, the financial loss was in the neighborhood of $222 million. Keep in mind that this was in 1871 dollars (>$4 billion today). 

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Beginning on Sunday, October 8, and burning for three days, there is much mystery surrounding the cause. While there is general consensus that the fire started in a barn belonging to the O’Leary family, followed quickly by a neighboring shed, how the spark initiated is unknown. Speculation includes everything from a cow kicking over a lantern to arson to a meteor shower. 

The last one actually has some credibility in light of the fact that the Biela’s Comet broke up over the region that day. Four fires broke out along the shores of Lake Michigan that day, adding more credibility to the theory (Holland and Manistee, MI, as well as Peshtigo, WI – A fifth fire was in Port Huron, on Lake Huron). And more than one witness claimed to see balls of fire and blue flames falling from the sky. 

There are some scientific reasons this is unlikely, most having to do with the fact that meteors generally only burn in the upper atmosphere. Regardless of the cause, one of those fires was indeed far worse than the Chicago fire, and included meteorological phenomena never recorded before or since.

Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Largely forgotten because of being overshadowed by the publicity of the Chicago fire, the Peshtigo Fire accounts for more deaths than any other fire in US history,. Numbers are difficult to come by, since they were not kept as accurately as today and the main location of all population records was destroyed in the fire. Most accounts put the number of people killed in the fire between 1,500 and 2,500.

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The area was bustling with activity in those days, which for the Midwest meant there was a lot of burning going on. As the railroad expanded, they’d slash and burn. Vast forests were being cleared, unlike anything we see in the area. One account stated that one tree supplied enough timber to build a house. The undergrowth and debris was regularly burned. This was also the case with the expansion of farming. 

In this case, the area was incredibly dry due to the extended drought. It’s not recorded whether any of these fires got out of control before the large blaze, but they did cause a great deal of smoke to linger in the air. And, as noted earlier, peat in the bogs had been burning for weeks, waiting for fresh rains to quench them.

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Whether it was all these fires being fanned, lightning or some other unknown cause that helped spark new fires, it is clear that the cold front moving into the area drove the fire before it. What appears to have been several small fires began to join forces, gaining power and taking on a life of its own. In fact, the storm turned into such an intense firestorm that the phenomenon was named after the town where the impact culminated in an amazing tragedy of destruction of both property and life.

In the end, every building but one in the town of Peshtigo was destroyed. Some neighboring towns were completely wiped from the face of the earth. Up to 1.5 million acres of old growth forest were consumed. 

The Peshtigo Paradigm

Have you ever seen a dry tree burst into flames? It’s an amazing site. While living in southern California, we’d see our seasonal fires consume hundreds of acres. As the flames would climb hills, trees would successively burst into flames. These were generally less than 50’ tall. One can only imagine the behemoths of the Midwest’s old growth exploding similarly, and over a much larger swath of land.

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As the hot air would rise from the fires, it would help to draw the cold air from the storm, resulting in a whirling effect. This, in turn, would produce tornados of fire, sucking debris up into the air along with the flames. 

Witnesses said fire was seen to be leaping through the clouds, only to come back to earth again setting new blazes. Houses and other buildings were said to have exploded in its wake. Temperatures reached 2,000 F (>1,000 C) with a firewall building up to speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, devouring everything it its path, even melting the train. Sand was turned to glass.

As a tornado of fire burst from the forest, train cars were tossed into the air as houses were thrown high into the storm. Trees were torn from the ground. The Door Peninsula, across Green Bay from Peshtigo, was set ablaze that night as well. Many claim that the flames were carried on the clouds over the bay by the twisters and fierce winds. 

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Odd things happened from the storm as well. People were found dead but unburnt with clothes intact, however coins in their pockets were melted. Some returned to their farms to find homes still whole and largely undamaged, though everything around them completely destroyed. People and animals were seen to literally burst into flames while fleeing the storm.

As people fled to the water of the Peshtigo river and the Bay, many succumbed to hyperthermia. Others perished from debris striking them. Animals fled into the water with them as well, adding to the confusion.

Source, courtesy of the Peshtigo Fire Museum

While the Chicago fire was in some ways more sensational, due to monetary loss, the Peshtigo fire was far worse on many levels, especially in regard to the loss of life. I've even heard people errantly claim that the Chicago fire was the most destructive in US history, knowing nothing of the horror that took place further to the north at the same time. The Peshtigo fire is somehow forgotten, lost in obscurity for most.

Man Seizes an Opportunity for Destruction

This intense firestorm, dubbed the Peshtigo Paradigm, was so destructive that it was studied to see if it could be duplicated. Of course, as man is so wont to do, the goal was to see if it could be used as a weapon. Unfortunately, it could, and was. 

British and American militaries used this tactic with great effect during WWII. The bombings of Dresden and Tokyo in particular saw incredibly horrifying results. In Dresden incendiary devices created a firestorm that swept 1,600 acres, killing over 23,000 people. During the Tokyo attack, over 15 square miles of the city was consumed, with estimates of 100,000 lives lost. For comparison, the total is more than the combined deaths from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Parting Thoughts

The firestorm that destroyed Peshtigo was tragic. There is an awesomeness about it that causes us to study in wonder at its magnitude. In this sense, there’s sort of a thrill at what it can do and the dynamics involved. Of course, the life lost takes away from positive reflection, bringing a sober somberness with it. I can’t imagine going through that with my family.

But it’s a whole different animal when inflicted with precision and intent. And the wartime loss and destruction of lives by creating this type of event is heart-wrenching. I found that last section of this article most difficult to write as the grief swelled up in what man can do to fellow man. 

I have talked to men who’ve seen this and worse. Bombs used in Vietnam and later in Iraq had as much destructive power and created similar dynamics. 

Such reflections serve another purpose though. Rightly considered, they engender greater compassion for our fellow man. How different would the world be today if that was the overwhelming lesson learned from the Peshtigo Fire, with only the desire to aid our brothers and sisters rather than further pursuit of their destruction?

Steemin' on,
Another Joe

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