Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will return to Peshtigo, Wisconsin in late May to conduct several more interviews for their new documentary PESHTIGO: American Firestorm. The documentary combines vintage photos, artists renderings, limited re-enactments and archival materials with eye-witness accounts and perspectives from present-day historians, conservationists, wildfire experts, scholars and survivor ancestors to tell the dramatic story of America’s deadliest firestorm. PESHTIGO is funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as generous supporters of the project. The documentary is slated for a "Sneak Preview" in October 2026 . Check back for more details. Add your name to the film's credits! You can make a tax-deductible contribution for $100 or more via our Fiscal Sponsor, the Peshtigo Historical Society. Visit their website here: Peshtigo Historic...
Tammy Rundle interviews artist Marvin Carl Marotz about his family connection to the Peshtigo fire. Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films were back in Peshtigo, Wisconsin to film interviews with descendants of several of the survivors of the deadly 1 871 wildfire. The firestorm claimed the lives of approximately 2,500 people and incinerated 1.2 million acres . It is considered the deadliest fire in American history. Peshtigo Historical Society's Mary Jo Seidl, Peshtigo Mayor Katie Berman and filmmakers Tammy and Kelly Rundle. Interviews were held at the Peshtigo Municipal Building thanks to the assistance of Peshtigo Mayor Katie Berman. "We are very grateful to Mayor Berman for arranging a quiet space in the building in which to conduct these important interviews," said producer Tammy Rundle. "It was truly a pleasure to meet her and we appreciated her kind support of our work on the film project." Tammy and Kelly Rundle with ...
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...