From Norm Teigen:
Peshtigo WI fire has higher death toll than the Chicago fire
On Sunday, October 8, 1871, fire leveled a broad swath of Michigan and Wisconsin, including the cities of Peshtigo, Holland, Manistee, and Port Huron. At least 1200 people died as a result of the fire. Nearly half the fatalities occurred in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.
That same night, the Great Chicago Fire erupted in nearby Illinois.
Conditions were ripe for major conflagrations that year. Uninterrupted drought plagued the Midwest into early October and winds were strong. Vast tracts of forest burned for a week in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin. When the wind increased and shifted direction, fire fighters were unable to control the flames any longer. Within hours, several Midwestern cities and towns were reduced to charcoal and ash.
{source-The Library of Congress}
More on the Great Peshtigo Fire
GJ - Note: the Church Growth Movment has destroyed more churches that both fires combined.
