The worst wildfire in the US, in Peshtigo, Wisconsin started on the evening of October 8, 1871. It was one of the worst wildfire in decades, as there were a small amount of fires at that time. That evening, the fire started. Fire experts say it started in a random location in the dense, Wisconsin forest. It may seem like an ordinary fire in pictures, but it was unique. “I chanced to look either to the right or left” (Source_12); the fire got hot enough to make people have to take a chance to just look to the sides of them. The Chicago Fire started the same day. It was located about 250 miles from Peshtigo. That would be 528,000 human footsteps.
Some survivors tell a different story though. There is a myth about a cow that knocked over a lantern. Most people do not believe that myth, because they said the cow was from Chicago, started that fire instead. The survivors said that on the evening of October 8, 1871, Mrs. O’ Leary’s cow woke up. It got startled by a creature and knocked over a lit lantern. When the lantern’s glass broke, the lantern ignited the hay, and then soon caught the entire barn on fire. The myth also says that 150 people were in that barn. If that many people were in the barn, then why did someone not stop the fire before it…show more content… Red and white pine trees burn easier than oak trees. “The big trees… were red pine and white pine… when that stuff gets to be slash and burned – as it’s called when it dries out – it is incredibly volatile” (Source_11). The fire was estimated to be at least 200 feet above ground once it started spreading. It got to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and 1093.33 degrees Celsius. It got so hot, that trees did not burn, but instead exploded by the flames. “Before me or behind, I saw nothing but flames” (Source_12). It became a hot, and windy evening. The wind speed got up to at least 110 miles per hour. When it reached villages, people burst into flames and