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The History of Fire Prevention Week
By Rick Prasad
For over nine decades, Fire Prevention Week has been observed during the week that includes October 9 to commemorate the Great Chicago and Peshtigo fires.
On the 40th anniversary of those fatal fires the Fire Marshall’s Association of North America decided that beginning in 1922, Fire Prevention Week would be observed in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.
On October 8, 1871 a fire broke out in Chicago, Illinois. During the following day the fire burned wildly out of control, spreading out and destroying more than 17,400 structures. In the aftermath 250 people were dead and another 100,000 people homeless.
Common folklore tells a tale that Mrs. Catherine O’Leary’s barn was the first structure to burn after a cow kicked over a lamp. Yet, there was little evidence that O’Leary was in the barn when the fire broke out or that one of her five milking cows sparked the blaze. As a matter of fact, Mrs. O’Leary swore that she’d been in bed early that night, and that the cows were also tucked in for the evening. So, without the aid of modern investigative tools the true cause of the blaze was never discovered.
The Great Chicago Fire is still one of the best-known fires in North America but a second blaze started on October 8 (1871) in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Accounts of that day claim the fire began when railroad workers clearing land for track accidentally ignited a brush fire. Aggressive flames stormed through the area and in short order the small town of Peshtigo was gone.
The Peshtigo Fire is the most devastating fire in North American history. The fire raged through northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.
Canada has not been immune to such large-scale losses of life and property. The Great Miramichi Fire was a massive series of forest fires that devastated communities throughout much of northern New Brunswick in October of 1825. It resulted in a loss of more than 30% of the homes in Fredericton. In Newcastle, 248 of 260 buildings were destroyed in just three hours while only six of 70 buildings survived in the nearby village of Douglastown. Many other communities were completely destroyed. Reports claim there were more than 200 people killed, while others speculate that number could be into the thousands. That fire still ranks as one of the three largest forest fires ever recorded in North America.
– Rick Prasad is Assistant Fire Chief of the Kimberley Fire Department and Fire Prevention Officer for the City of Kimberley
Lead image: Painting depicting The Peshtigo Fire. From Wisconsinhistory.org