he Peshtigo Wisconsin fire was a large forest fire on October 8, 1871, in northeastern Wisconsin, United States, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula and adjacent parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest community in the affected area was Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which had a population of approximately 1,700 residents. The fire burned about 1.2 million acres and is the deadliest wildfire in recorded history,[1] with the number of deaths estimated between 1,500[1] and 2,500.[
That’s a nugget the writer neglected to research. Thanks for that!
Wisconsin's 'claim to fame' as it happened at the same time as The Great Chicago Fire, which gets all the credit. ;)