The Great Peshtigo Fire

On October 8, 1871, the same day as the Chicago Fire, a lesser known but equally destructive disaster, The smashing Peshtigo Fire devastated the town of Peshtigo Wisconsin. The cause of this fire was a combining of High temperatures, prolonged draught and human carelessness. It had been a ironic summer and the newly dried areas of swamp land were beingness harvested for lumber. This harvesting left large amounts of sawdust and other lumber surplus throughout the forest. The perfect fuel for a fire. In addition, the railroads had castrate their right of way and the remaining waste was left aboard the tracks. Occasionally the waste was ignited by sparks from passing trains.
On this particular day some(prenominal) small fires have started. The winds that had been blowing in from the south allowed these fires to merge. The winds were also responsible for the rapid spread of the fire. The change in wind direction in the evening created what they called a tornado of fire. The estimated speed of travel for the fire was 6 miles an hour. In this time, where good deal did not own automobiles, this made for a baneful speed. Many people were killed by asphyxiation from the smoke or by drowning in the river trying to escape the fire. Some people jumped into well to try to escape the fire and were essentially stewed to death.



It is estimated that between 1159 and 2400 people were killed in this fire. It was impossible to get the lay claim count as no one knew how many migrant workers were there at the time and most of the bodies were ignite down to classic dust or bone calcifications. Identifications were made through own(prenominal) articles such as jewelry or pins that survived the extreme heat. half of the population of Peshtigo was killed as a result of this fire.
The fire burned the village in less than an hour; it continued to burn and spread along Green bay burning several other villages in its path as well as part of the city of Marinette. At this time in level the fire department...If you want to get a full essay, magnitude it on our website: Orderessay



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