events
Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front cause the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.
Related Wikipedia articles
Slash-and-burn agriculture
Agricultural practice
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegetation, or "slash", is…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Cold front
Leading edge of a cooler mass of air
A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone, at the leading edge of its cold air advection pattern—known as…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Peshtigo fire
1871 forest fire that destroyed Peshtigo, Wisconsin, US
The Peshtigo 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,…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Great Chicago Fire
1871 conflagration in Illinois, US
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km2) of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Great Michigan Fire
1871 series of wildfires throughout Michigan, United States
The Great Michigan Fire was a series of simultaneous forest fires in the state of Michigan in the United States in 1871. They were possibly caused by the same winds that fanned the Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire and the Port Huron Fire; some believe lightning or even…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
October 8
Day of the year
October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 84 days remain until the end of the year.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)