The Metz Fire: more than 100 years later, the worst natural disaster in Presque Isle County still stings.
Late in the morning of October 15, 1908, a wildfire started just outside of the Village of Metz and claimed 37 lives and destroyed over 200,000 acres of land in the county. Once a thriving village, Metz was wiped out overnight and 134 families were homeless.
The Presque Isle County Historical Museum features an exhibit illustrates the tragedy of this wildfire one poignant, human detail at a time. From the treasured wedding ring of a wife lost in the blaze to a dinner plate salvaged from the wreckage, visitors can begin to understand the magnitude of the fire’s devastation.
View the front page of The Detroit News from October 16, 1908, which reported the damage to horrified Michigan residents the next day. Seventeen people, mostly women and young children, perished in a train car derailed from the heat of the flames, and another firefighter was boiled to death when he sought refuge in a reservoir. More encouraging are the stories of those who fought the fire, made quick decisions, and perservered to rebuild their homes.
The exhibit honors the lives claimed by the fire, features photos of the hundreds of lives touched by this disaster and, most importantly, shows how a community came together to help each other in a time of need.