The Great Fire of 1910 burned three million acres across Idaho, Montana, Washington, and British Columbia in a single day, but it was far from the deadliest wildfire in American history.

Wildfires have blazed through forests and plains around the world since the beginning of time. In many ways, they help the ecosystem, as they destroy dead plants and other organic matter so that new vegetation can thrive. However, in populated areas, they pose great danger. The Great Fire of 1910, the largest wildfire in American history, sparked debate on how to balance these natural benefits with the risk to humans.

While the 1910 wildfire took place in a rural area of the American West, others have raged through large towns and even major cities, displacing — and even killing — thousands of people. Th

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