Memorial. On the night of 8 October 1871, the same weather system that was also responsible for the Great Chicago Fire, whipped a brush fire in the forest around the town of Peshtigo into a conflagration that became the deadliest wildfire in the nation's history. Following a summer that bordered on drought conditions, dried up creeks, and the area's lumber industry leaving large deposits of tree debris, often cleared with fire, the consensus is that any one such brush fire ignited the deadly fire storm which followed. A front, bringing strong southwesterly winds, pushed the flames toward the town of 1,700 souls built on both sides of the Peshtigo River. These winds, in combination with warm temperatures and dry conditions, led to the rapid, even explosive, spread of existing fires. One survivor said that at 8.30 that night, the western sky was dark red, and a fire grew rapidly in size and intensity, accompanied by the "terrible noise of fire." Reports indicate that voices could not be heard above the roar of the fire, and the smoke was so thick as to reduce visibility to zero. Fire vortices swept across the town, the population fled, often with nothing but the clothing they wore, and took refuge in the Peshtigo river or in a marsh on the town's east side, several drownings were reported. What was described as a wall of flame a mile high and five miles wide was traveling up to 100 miles an hour; it jumped the Peshtigo River, burning both sides of the town. Survivors reported a fire tornado threw rail cars into the air. The heat was so intense, there were reports that some of those trying to flee simply burst into flame. Studies suggest a temperature of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire utterly consumed the town of Peshtigo in about an hour, where at least 800 lives were lost; the village of Williamsonville, where 60 of the 77 residents were killed; and some 13 other towns and villages, killing between 1,200 and 2,400 people, and consuming 1,875 square miles across Oconto, Marinette, Shawano, Brown, Kewaunee, Door, Manitowoc, and Outagamie counties. The flames finally died just before dawn, allowing those who sheltered in the river to emerge. Of the dead, only about 315 could be identified, some bodies were completely destroyed due to the intensity of the fire, and many of the unidentified remains were buried together in a mass grave, where a memorial was erected. On 8 October 2012, another memorial to those lost there was dedicated at the bridge on the Peshtigo River.