About: Cloquet fire

The Cloquet fire was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads and dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moose Lake, Cloquet, and Kettle River. Cloquet was hit the hardest by the fires. It was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of casualties in a single day. In total, 453 people died and 52,000 people were injured or displaced, 38 communities were destroyed, 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) were burned, and $73 million ($1.315 billion in 2022 United States dollars) in property damage was suffered. Thirteen million dollars in federal aid were disbursed.