Peshtigo: American Firestorm

  Jerry Apps during his interview for "Peshtigo: American Firestorm. " Like so many, we are heartbroken to learn of the passing of aut hor, Wisconsin historian and friend Jerry Apps. We were so very fortunate to know him and to have worked with him on three documentary projects, including most recently on "Peshtigo: American Firestorm". Jerry was and always will be one of those special people who had a major positive impact on our lives. We cannot imagine a world without him. Our deepest sympathy to his beloved family, and to all who loved him. He was an amazing man and he will live on and on in our hearts. We include a video link to one of Jerry Apps' iconic moments in Fourth Wall Films' award-winning "The Barn Raisers": Never Curse the Rain. Below is Jerry's Obituary. Jerold Willard Apps July 25, 1934 — December 23, 2025 Madison Jerold W. Apps Ph.D., 91, peacefully passed away at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg after a short illness. He was st...

October 8th, 2025 marked the 154th anniversary of the great Peshtigo, Wisconsin fire. The Peshtigo Historical Society presented its annual memorial commemorating the tragedy and honoring the victims and those who survived. The 1871 October firestorm incinerated 1.2 million acres and killed approximately 2,500 people. It is considered the deadliest fire in American history. Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films filmed the commemoration and the candlelight vigil for their documentary PESHTIGO: American Firestorm . They also filmed the mass grave at Peshtigo Fire Cemetery, and Harmony Cemetery and Mays Corners Cemetery where other victims of the fire are buried. “PESHTIGO: American Firestorm” (working title) will combine vintage photos, artists renderings, limited re-enactments and archival materials with eye-witness accounts and perspectives from present-day historians and scholars, including Jerry Apps, PhD, the author of “When the White Pine was King”, and conservationists to tel...

Production continued in Woodruff, Wisconsin for an on-camera interview with DNR Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele for Fourth Wall Films ' new documentary Peshtigo: American Firestorm .  "We are very grateful to Catherine for taking time out of her schedule to talk with us about the Peshtigo tragedy, and wildfire prevention then and today," said Fourth Wall Films producer Tammy Rundle.  “Ninety-eight percent of our fires are caused by people; therefore, they can be prevented, Koele said during her interview. "That is the key message we want to get out to the public."  The Rundles have been in production on the film project since March, and will return to Peshtigo on October 8, 2026 to film the annual commemoration of the fire and memorial for the victims.  Koele mentioned that National Fire Prevention week is held each year in October.  "In large part that is because of the fires in the Great Lake states, including Peshtigo."   “Pesht...

Emmy® Award winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films returned to Peshtigo, Wisconsin July 8-11 th   to film interviews for their new documentary   Peshtigo: American Firestorm .  The Peshtigo Wildfire broke out on October 8, 1871, the same day as the “Great” Chicago fire. Months of drought, smoldering logging fires, and a regional windstorm produced what witnesses described as a tornado made of fire. The fire burned 1.2 million acres and killed an estimated 1,500-2,500 people. The Peshtigo fire, not the Chicago fire, would prove to be the largest and most deadly fire in American history. The husband and wife Fourth Wall Films team have been coordinating work on the project with the  Peshtigo Historical Society , and they met with members of the group during their visit to share an update on the film’s progress. Completion of the documentary is planned for the fall of 2026. "We are so grateful to this amazing group of people for all of their know...

  Typepad, our "Peshtigo: American Firestorm" website/blog host of more than 20 years is suddenly going out of business. Due to folks like us backing up two decades of blog posts, their system has collapsed prior to its September 30, 2025 termination.  Check back again as we renovate this new website and blog, and add more exciting content. If you are interested in making a donation to the documentary project and adding your name to the PESHTIGO: AMERICAN FIRESTORM's credits, send us an email and we will pass along the instructions. Thank you for your patience! We appreciate your interest and support! Kelly & Tammy Rundle Fourth Wall Films fourthwallfilms@aol.com If you are interested in our other award-winning documentaries, you can email us directly for links to purchase our DVDs/Blu-rays. Our films are always available to stream here:  https://vimeo.com/fourthwallfilms/vod_pages

Fourth Wall Films ' Kelly and Tammy Rundle travelled to Madison, Wisconsin in June to interview Dr. Jed Meunier for their new documentary   Peshtigo: American Firestorm .  Dr. Meunier is an ecologist and research scientist with the  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, with an interest and expertise in fire ecology. He is also the great-grandson of Aldo Leopold, who is considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation. “What we learn from the Peshtigo fire is that it was climate and weather driven. We need to be prepared for that to happen again,” Meunier said during his interview. "Meunier’s research has rewritten our understanding of what happened Oct. 8, 1871, when the Peshtigo fire roared up both sides of the Bay of Green Bay, killing as many as 2,500 people in the deadliest fire in American history. Generations of Wisconsin schoolchildren learned that the lumberjacks were to blame because they left behind piles of flammable pine sl...