The greatest forest fire in U.S. history occurred in 1871. The town of Peshtigo, situated on the Peshtigo River in northeastern Wisconsin, was totally destroyed in that conflagration. It was a booming town with a population of 1,700. The town’s main industry was manufacturing wood products and boasted the largest woodenware factory in the country. The swirling fire that engulfed the town destroyed every building and claimed at least 800 lives in and around the town. The total number killed in the extensive fire has been estimated at 1,300. More than one million acres were burned across Wisconsin and Michigan.
In terms of total area burned, the largest fire in North America occurred in 1825. The fire raged from Maine through New Brunswick, Canada. Started inadvertently by a group of loggers who ignited a fire in a drought area, the wildfire burned over three million acres and claimed more than 160 lives. The terms forest fire, firestorm, and wildfire have been used almost synonymously. However, a forest fire is defined as an uncontrolled fire occurring in vegetation more than six feet in height. An extensive forest fire may spread through the topmost branches of the trees before involving the undergrowth or the forest floor. As a result, a firestorm may develop, with violent tornado-like whirls that develop as hot air from the burning undergrowth rises. Such a fire is uncontrollable and subsides only upon the total consumption of the forest and underbrush. A wildfire is simply defined as a sweeping and destructive conflagration especially in a wilderness or rural area.
Forest fires can be naturally occurring or man made. Naturally occurring forest fires can be started by lightning strikes, especially in drought-afflicted areas. Man-made fires are those caused by careless campfire maintenance or deliberate acts of arson. Forest fires spread rapidly and may require quick evacuation of an area.
