Despite nearly 150 years separating them, the 19th-century Thumb-area fire and the California fires of January 2025 feature many commonalities, one historian of firefighting points out.

But before that, nearly 150 years ago this month, what may have been an even more deadly fire swept across Michigan’s Thumb, in Huron, Tuscola, ... calling it the "Great Fire of 1881." ...

One historian says that Michigan’s Great Fire of 1881 in some ways still burns, offering lessons about how to prevent future fires as drought and other conditions make blazes more likely.

The 1881 fire also led to practices for preventing future fires in Michigan, including a public resource — known today as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — implementing ...

But before that, nearly 150 years ago this month, what may have been an even more deadly fire swept across Michigan’s Thumb, in Huron, Tuscola, ... Great Fire of 1881.