Thumb Fire

The great Thumb Fire takes place on September 5, 1881, in the Thumb area of Michigan in the United States.

The fire, which burns over a million acres (4,000 km²) in less than a day, is the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, the aftereffects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and the ecological damage wrought by the era's logging techniques.The blaze, also called the Great Thumb Fire, the Great Forest Fire of 1881 and the Huron Fire, kills 282 people in Sanilac, Lapeer, Tuscola and Huron counties.

The damage estimate is $2,347,000 (which is $56,522,234 adjusted for inflation).The fire sends enough soot and ash up into the atmosphere that sunlight is partially obscured at many locations on the East Coast of the United States.

In New England cities, the sky appears yellow and projects a strange luminosity onto buildings and vegetation.

Twilight appears at 12 noon.

September 6, 1881 immediately becomes known as Yellow Tuesday or Yellow Day due to the ominous nature of this atmospheric event.

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