Largest Loss of Life to Fire in US History

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10-08-2007, 11:59 AM
DeputyMarshal

Largest Loss of Life to Fire in US History

Today marks the anniversary of the Peshtigo Wisconsin fire of 1871. Between 1200 & 2400 people lost their lives, 12 towns were utterly destroyed, and between 1.2 & 1.5 million acres burned on both sides of Green Bay.

Take a moment to remember this historical -- and relatively unknown -- fire as we launch Fire Prevention Week 2007.

Remember, rescuing people from fires is a last resort. The best way to prevent fire losses is to prevent fires.
10-08-2007, 02:11 PM
mcaldwell

This fire, along with others, is now included in the History & Orientation chapter of the Jones and Bartlett Fundamentals manual. Even my Rookies way up here in Canadia have to answer that question on thier rookie exam. A remarkable incident for sure.

Here is a good historical site for those who are interested. Definitely worth a look.

http://www.peshtigofire.info/
10-08-2007, 02:59 PM
RspctFrmCalgary

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaldwell

This fire, along with others, is now included in the History & Orientation chapter of the Jones and Bartlett Fundamentals manual. Even my Rookies way up here in Canadia have to answer that question on thier rookie exam. A remarkable incident for sure.

Here is a good historical site for those who are interested. Definitely worth a look.

http://www.peshtigofire.info/

Ah, perfect. I was going to ask for a link later on. Thanks, Marty! ;) Bookmarked for future perusal. :)

Seems a bit familiar, I think I may have caught a bit about it on TV in the past few months. Very sad, such a large loss of life. :( :(
10-08-2007, 07:28 PM
DeputyMarshal

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaldwell

This fire, along with others, is now included in the History & Orientation chapter of the Jones and Bartlett Fundamentals manual.

What's sad to me is that it's the sort of thing that used to be included in FFI but now has been deleted from the curriculum. (I'm pretty sure it was in the original IFSTA Essentials text back when I took it in '82 or so...)

So much of our current fire codes and practices is based on historical fires that it's a shame that we don't educate our new firefighters more about our past.
10-09-2007, 05:17 AM
frenchfireball

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaldwell

This fire, along with others, is now included in the History & Orientation chapter of the Jones and Bartlett Fundamentals manual. Even my Rookies way up here in Canadia have to answer that question on thier rookie exam. A remarkable incident for sure.

Here is a good historical site for those who are interested. Definitely worth a look.

http://www.peshtigofire.info/

thanks for the link,i have never heard about that fire.
10-12-2007, 12:19 PM
kuntrykid

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10-12-2007, 01:07 PM
Jasper 45

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeputyMarshal

Today marks the anniversary of the Peshtigo Wisconsin fire of 1871. Between 1200 & 2400 people lost their lives, 12 towns were utterly destroyed, and between 1.2 & 1.5 million acres burned on both sides of Green Bay.

Deputy, I'm impressed. Not many people outside of this part of the world remember the Peshtigo fire. The timing of the Pestigo fire with another famous fire almost make Peshtigo an after thought.

My great-grandmother is a survivor of the Peshtigo fire. I never knew her, but my grandma often told my brother, myself and any family members who would listen, of how my great-grandmothers parents and family had to seek refuge in the Peshtigo river. Incidentally, my great-grandmother was left in a barn, by accident, that was untouched by the fire.