October 5th, 2012- Silver City, NM- On Sunday,  October 13th,  firefighters across the country will begin commemorating  National Fire Prevention Week.  The National Fire Prevention Week was established in 1922 on the 40th anniversary of  the Great Chicago Fire of  October 8, 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres.  The cause of the Great Chicago Fire is still unknown.
                                    
Another well-known fire during that time was the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history.  Also igniting on October 8th, the Peshtigo Fire burned 16 towns, killing 1,152 people and scorching 1.2 million acres.  The Peshtigo Fire is thought to be the result of many small fires burning in northeastern Wisconsin and throughout the mid-west. That summer in Wisconsin had been extremely dry, making the cedar swamps and peat bogs dry up and causing extensive needle loss on the evergreens.  That year hardwood trees shed their leaves prematurely creating a thick carpet of tinder-dry fuel on the forest floor.  Timber production was the leading industry and stacked log decks surrounded most villages.  Fires were commonplace, often caused by large bonfires from sawmill waste and land clearing efforts as well as campfires left smoldering. On the day of the fire, a cold front moved in from the west, bringing strong winds that fanned small area fires into one massive conflagration. Witnesses reported winds strong enough to throw rail cars and small buildings into the air.  The firestorm, estimated at a mile high and five miles wide, traveled 90 to 100 miles per hour and was hot enough to turn sand into glass.  Survivors of the fire recall fire “whipping through the area like a tornado.”
 
The National Fire Prevention Week founders, the International Fire Marshals Association, decided that the week should not be marked with festivities, but should be a time for members of all fire services to remind the public of the importance of fire prevention practices.
 
The Gila National Forest encourages safe fire practices while in or near all wildland areas.  Campfires are synonymous with autumn camping.  If you enjoy an evening campfire, have a shovel and water available to extinguish it before you go to bed.  Never build a fire near tall grass and low over-hanging branches.  A cold-out fire is one in which you can put your hand.  When smoking outside, clear an area and grind out your cigarette in the dirt and pocket the butt.  If your home is in the urban interface, surrounded by vegetation, take time to learn the principles of  reducing your risk to wildfire.  Clear dead vegetation out from around your home and keep tall grass mowed.  Avoid storing firewood on decks, porches, or areas close to your house as wood piles can ignite quickly from falling embers.
 
Please visit www.FireWise.org  and www.wildlandfireRSG.org and www.nfpa.org for tips on making your home and property more defendable against wildfire.
 
For additional information, please contact Ellen Brown, Fire Prevention, at 575-388-8262 or email ellenbrown@fs.fed.us,