I read this book just days before the devastating fires in Hawaii, which were also fueled by high winds. The detailed descriptions in the book made the current fire even more heartbreaking and terrifying.

Was the Peshtigo fire a warning to us of the earth’s destructive power, especially when humans make choices to so significantly alter the earth’s equilibrium? Just as climate change led to Hawaii’s fires, the massive fires in the upper midwest in 1871 were also in part brought on by human impact- cutting massive forests for farm land and railroads and logging which helped create the conditions of a tinder box.

On October 8, 1871 the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin was leveled by an enormous and fast-moving fire. The fire incinerated buildings and people alike, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. So many people were actually cremated that survivors were unable to ascertain an accurate death toll. And while this fire is considered the most deadly fire in American history, few have heard of it simply because it occurred on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire.

I do like reading about small bits of history that somehow managed to escape the mainstream history books and this book fits that bill nicely. The author takes the time to introduce the reader to Peshtigo and the major townspeople before the fire started. He described the horrors of the fire and the landscape that was left behind. This fire was so big that it burned the fertile topsoil, creating more problems for this farming community. When was the last time you heard about a fire burning the dirt? The story wasn't overly long and it didn't get bogged down in minutiae details; it was just right. I liked it.

We've all heard of the Great Chicago Fire, but the Peshtigo fire is not nearly as well known. The Chicago fire destroyed about 3.3 square miles and killed approximately 300 people, and left many thousands homeless - a devastating event for a major city. But the Peshtigo fire destroyed over 2,400 square miles and 12 communities (Peshtigo was the largest), and while the total deaths will never be known, the estimate is between 1,500 - 2,000 people killed. But since the Peshtigo fire happened on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire, it's been overshadowed in the historical record.

I have a thing for disaster nonfiction, and when I first heard about the Peshtigo fire in Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel James Brown (still one of my favorite disaster nonfiction reads!) I knew I had to learn more about it. This book has been on my shelf for a long time, and I'm glad I finally read it. It was shorter than I was hoping for, and I found the writing a little too scattered and lacking detail in a lot of places, especially in the second half of the book (although this could be to lack of source material). I'd still recommend it for anyone interested in disaster nonfiction or American frontier history.