National Fire Prevention Week commemorates the anniversary of two of the most devastating fires in United States history: the great Chicago Fire and the Peshtigo Fire. Both fires began around 9:00 p.m. on October 8, 1871 and continued through the next day. The Chicago Fire took the lives of 250 people, left another 10,000 homeless and consumed 17,400 structures over 2,000 acres. The wildfire in Peshtigo was the worst of the two fires, yet many people have never heard of it. Within one day, 1,200 people perished in the Peshtigo conflagration. Seventeen towns were consumed and 1.5 million acres were scorched.
Read More“Practice your escape plan” during fire prevention week