This week in Wisconsin history, the clear-cutting by the lumber industry left massive debris behind, and on one dry summer in 1894, a huge fire would break out, bigger than all of the brush fires dealt with that summer on July 26, 1894. While fighting one brush fire on the 26th, the fire department had to turn its attention to another near Lake Ten. By the 27th, the strong winds blowing southwest pushed the fire into Phillips, and with most of the structures made of wood, the scene was reminiscent of a war zone. The town was a total loss, but despite the tragedy, the town rebuilt, and about one-third of sandstone or red-brick buildings remain in memory of the tragedy.
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