About National Fire Prevention Week

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National Fire Protection Week encourages people to learn how to prevent and protect against fires. The week marks the anniversary of two killer fires, The Great Chicago Fire and The Peshtigo Fire. Both fires began on the same day in the same year, along with three other major fires in the region.


The Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871, killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres. October 9 represents the deadliest of the three days.


The most devastating fire in American history remains Wisconsin's Peshtigo Fire, October 8, 1871. The fire only burned for one day but killed 1,200 - 2,400 people and charred over 1.2 million acres. Rain, after months of drought, put it out.


The largest fire in the world included forests in two countries, Russia and China. The 1987 Black Dragon Fire scorched 2.5 million acres and is the deadliest forest fire in history in the People's Republic of China. One hundred ninety-one died by fire, 250 were injured, and 33,000 Chinese became homeless. For context, the second largest fire to date in the US, the 2021 Dixie Fire in California, burned 463,000 acres and killed one; the largest, Alaska's 2004 Taylor Complex Fire, killed 15 and burned 1.3 million acres.


CAUSES OF FIRES

According to the National Park Service (NPS), 85% of wildland fires and 94% of those threatening homes and businesses in the United States begin due to human activity.

These activities include:
  
Unattended campfires

Burning debris
Equipment use and malfunctions

Discarded cigarettes
Intentional acts of arson


Home fires are caused predominantly by these activities:
  
Cooking
Portable heaters

Electrical fires from bad wiring

Careless smoking

Unattended candles

Chemicals

Christmas trees


HISTORY OF NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day Proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on Sunday through Saturday, including October 8.

According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the record's longest-running public health and safety observance. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.