WE THE PEOPLE: 154 years later, the Peshtigo Fire remains the deadliest fire in American history

PESHTIGO, Wis. (WBAY) - Although it was overshadowed by the Chicago fire that happened the same day, the Peshtigo fire is the deadliest fire in American history.

It took the lives of roughly three-quarters of its population in the developing town on October 8th, 1871.

In a developing town that was made of mostly wood, the fire was so devastating that people still hear stories of how fast and brutal it was when it took place in the middle of the night.

“The whole town burned within an hour, and the air was actually on fire with the sawdust coming up from the streets,” says Frank Bjorkman of Menominee.

The Midwest was exceptionally dry in 1871. On October 8th, the Peshtigo fire spanned up to one-and-a-half-million acres, stretching from just north of Green Bay all the way into Michigan a