The Cloquet Fire ( ) was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads amid dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moose Lake, Cloquet, and Kettle River. Cloquet was hardest hit by the fires; it was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of casualties in a single day. It is also the third-deadliest wildfire in recorded history, behind the Peshtigo fire of 1871 and a 1936 wildfire that occurred in Kursha-2.
In total, 453 people died and 52,000 people were injured or displaced. Thirty-eight communities were destroyed, with 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) burned, and $73 million ($ billion in United States dollars) in property damage; $13 million in federal aid was disbursed.
Carlton County in the early 20th century
Carlton County was known for its logging industry during the early 20th century. The fire burned over dry, harvested land that was vulnerable to wildfire. The logging industry employed most of the area workforce. The railroad, which came to the area in 1870, was a great boost for the logging industry.
In 1874, a large lumber mill was built alongside the lakeshore. The mill along the river gathered and floated logs downriver, where they were assembled and sawed for retail. When the logging industry was at its peak, one could walk across the lake on the logs covering the water's surface.
With a new century approaching, open lands in Carlton County were overrun by farmers purchasing land from the mill. The mill's main incentives for sales to farmers were the government grants on the land. With more farmers arriving each year, the population and activity in Carlton County grew substantially. Stores, lawyers, and livestock businesses were established and the economy flourished.
Fire
On October 10, 1918, two men working near a railroad siding northwest of Cloquet saw a passenger train pass by the siding, and soon thereafter discovered a fire burning through grass and piles of wood. The fire could not be contained, and by October 12, it and other fires had spread through northern Minnesota.
When asked about the scene at Cloquet, Albert Michaud, a special police officer in Cloquet, was quoted by the New York Times,
Early reports of the fire circulated rumors that the fires had been intentionally started by "enemy agents", but Cloquet Fire Chief F. J. Longren later confirmed that such rumors were false. One cause of the fire was reportedly sparks from the railroad tracks that lit grass and dry timber, but the rapid progression of the fire through northern Minnesota was caused by numerous factors, such as drought conditions, high winds, and a lack of firefighting equipment.
Damage and fatalities
Many instances of mass deaths were reported. In Moose Lake, an Associated Press correspondent reported seeing 75 bodies piled in a burned building. On a road leading out of Moose Lake, 100 bodies were strewn, according to the New York Times. A relief worker reported that 30 bodies were piled in a cellar between Moose Lake and Kettle River.
Among other structures, the Duluth Country Club and the Children's Home were both complete losses. Within Carlton and southern Saint Louis Counties, the towns of Brookston, Arnold, and Moose Lake were completely destroyed. Cloquet and its surrounding cities were known for the great deforestation caused by the fire.
Relief operations
The fires left thousands of people homeless. About 4,700 Cloquet residents sought refuge in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. In total, close to 12,000 people were left homeless from neighboring towns. The inferno's victims were temporarily sheltered in buildings such as hospitals, schools, churches, armories, and private homes. Doctors were brought in from surrounding areas to help the thousands of injured people.
Several organizations and volunteers risked their lives to help save people and property. The Minnesota Infantry National Guard was called in to help in the relief process. At about 3 p.m. on October 12, Lieutenant Karl A. Franklin and Captain Henry Tourtelotte of the Fourth Regiment of the National Guard were contacted to aid the Rice Lake Road area. After speaking with Cloquet's mayor and its police chief, Robert McKercher, Tourtelotte and nine other people headed for Duluth to assemble his troops and offer immediate assistance. A couple of companies were assigned to controlling the fire, which they were unable to do despite their best efforts. After torrents of flame battered them down, they instead began to focus on the survivors.