Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele interviewed for "Peshtigo"

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."  

“Peshtigo: American Firestorm” will combine vintage photos, artists renderings, limited re-enactments and archival materials with eye-witness accounts and perspectives from present-day historians and scholars to tell the dramatic story of America’s deadliest firestorm. “Peshtigo” is funded in part by a 2024 grant from Wisconsin Humanities.

Fourth Wall Films is a media production and distribution company formed in Los Angeles and now based in Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities. Fourth Wall Films’ Kelly and Tammy Rundle recently received their 5th Mid-America Emmy® Award for their newest historical documentary film “Resurrecting Forest Grove”. Their historical, environmental, and museum films have received a total of 14 Emmy nominations since 2011.

The Peshtigo Historical Society was founded in 1963 by a group of Peshtigo residents who wanted to ensure that the town's history of being the center of the deadliest forest fire in US history would never be forgotten. The Peshtigo Historical Society's mission is to learn, participate, preserve, and promote their local history.

The Peshtigo Fire Museum is located at 400 Oconto Avenue in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It is open every day Memorial Day through October 8th, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Visit https://peshtigofiremuseum.com/ for more information. They are on the look out for volunteers!