For over a month fires had been smoldering in the swamps and gradually spreading in all directions in the northern part of Chisago County and the southern part of Pine County. No rain had fallen for nearly a month and the forests and farms were like tinder. On the morning of September 1, 1894, a smart breeze sprang up from the south, fanning the fires which extended over the thousands of acres southeast and west of Hinckley.
The fierce flaming heat became so intense in certain localities, it created what seemed to be a vacuum. The vacuum would then quickly fill with violent and explosive gases; yet at times appear entirely at rest in spite of the brisk south wind. With a river so near, there would have been time to seek safety in flight and even to have removed goods if no greater danger menaced the townspeople than an ordinary forest fire. But when the fire burst over the town it came in fierce explosions and in streaks, with suffocating choking gases that paralyzed the victims even before the burning.
In one instance a man was stricken down, but not burned enough to destroy his clothes, yet in one of his pockets was found a small leather purse in which were four silver dollars welded together in one solid piece. In another case two horses were badly burned, but the wagonload of hay they were pulling was unharmed. It was no ordinary fire. It came too quickly for analysis. It baffled science. It could not be accounted for. It was a phenomenon that defies all description. It did not crawl or creep but burst and exploded. It roared, seethed and boiled. On the ground it swept forward in walls and cylinders of flame; in the air it soared in massive balls of fire and gas. Its heat was intense and searing and it devoured kingly pines in minutes, yet spared fragile saplings close by.
Four hundred and fifty-nine people perished in Hinckley and surrounding villages, with all the structures virtually wiped out. It is doubtful if any other fire that may have wrought such destruction in this country ever possessed the power of that which destroyed Hinckley.
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