Big Falls
Big Falls, WI · Weather
WFRV Local 5
Spotty Snow Potential Reaches the Lakeshore
The latest from Storm Team 5… If you have spent the last couple months waiting for some cooler temps to arrive, your time has come! Thursday is another day with a wintry mix that remains spotty along the Lakeshore and the Northwoods. Daytime highs are only expected to reach the lower 40s. Friday ends the […]
WBAY Green Bay
History Snob
The Deadliest Wildfire in American History
On October 8, 1871, a devastating wildfire swept through northeastern Wisconsin—so devastating, in fact, that the disaster remains the deadliest wildfire in American history. It would later be known as the Peshtigo Fire, with a death toll ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 fatalities. Even with these jarring numbers, the tragedy is largely overshadowed by another event that occurred on the very same night : the Great Chicago Fire. The destruction unfolding around Peshtigo, however, was considerably deadlier. Within hours, homes, businesses, and vast stretches of forest had been consumed, leaving survivors struggling to comprehend what had happened. More than 150 years later, the catastrophe remains a disturbing example of how dangerous wildfires can truly get. A Disaster Years in the Making But how did such a deadly fire even erupt in Peshtigo? The story actually starts way back: long before the fire, Peshtigo had developed into a prosperous lumber town. Sawmills, woodworking factories, and railroad operations supported the local economy. However, it's not difficult to see that these industries also created dangerous conditions —case in point, that it would eventually lead to the most horrific fire in American history. It, of course, didn't help either that northeastern Wisconsin was experiencing
WFRV Local 5
NBC26
cw14online.com
NBC 26 WGBA Green Bay
Will this continue to be a November to remember?