California’s fires are extraordinary, although they pale in comparison with the greatest—and unquestionably prophetic—wildfire in U.S. history.

That was the great Peshtigo Fire of 1871, which was foreseen by the Virgin Mary twelve years before as a chastisement for sin.

Are the California blazes likewise?

To compare: the L.A. infernos thus far are about one-thirtieth (1/30) the size of Peshtigo (40,000 acres versus 1.2 to 1.5 million).

The Peshtigo Fire, in Wisconsin and parts of western Michigan, was caused, as is the case in L.A., by an abnormally exsiccated autumn and fierce winds.

In the case of Peshtigo, the fires may have been ignited from the campfires of rail or forest workers and the slash-and-burn land-clearing techniques. In California, the causes often cited are sparks from power lines, arson, and human negligence.

Peshtigo killed from 1,500 to 2,500. L.A. thus far has taken “just” twenty-five lives.

Astoundingly, the Peshtigo blaze started around October 8-9, 1871—the same day as the Great Chicago Fire.

What are the odds that the greatest wildfire in U.S. history would occur at the same time, two hundred miles south, as the Great Chicago Fire, with no visible connection?

Was it just the dryness and those winds or (as some speculate) the gaseous prolongation of a comet that intersected the path of the earth?

Survivors described apocalyptic scenes, with tornado-like firestorms incinerating everything in their path. Even the roots of trees were burned, and those seeking refuge in the Peshtigo River did so in vain, as a ceiling of fire wavered over the body of water for at least an hour. The flames killed other wrapped on hillside clearing and covered with wet blankets or hiding in wells.

Yet, a priest holding a wooden tabernacle in the same river survived unscathed.

The prophetic component?

Precisely twelve years before—again, possibly to the day—Mary had appeared to a Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise while walking along a trail in the woods. It is the sole apparition formally approved in the United States. As the Green Bay diocese explains, “Adele saw a lady dressed in white, standing between two trees believed to be a maple and hemlock. Although the mysterious woman stayed silent, it left Adele wondering what sort of encounter it may have been. When Adele told her family, they believed her but thought perhaps it was a soul in purgatory visiting this earthly life asking for prayers.

“A few days later, on what is believed to be Sunday, October 9, 1859, Adele walked to Mass with her sister and a friend. The church was 10 miles away from home, but Adele made the journey every Sunday, no matter the weather. Along the same path, Adele saw the mysterious lady standing in the same spot between the two trees. However, Adele being the only one to see her, she and her companions continued their journey to Mass.

“After Mass, Adele spoke to her parish priest, and he instructed her that if the lady appeared to her again to ask the question, “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?”

“On her journey home, Adele saw the lady for the third time. As she and her companions approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long golden wavy hair fell loosely over her shoulders. The lady had such a heavenly light around her that Adele could hardly look at her face. Overcome by the light, Adele fell to her knees and said, “In God’s name, who are you, and what do you want of me?”

“The lady replied, ‘I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.’”

Many took that as a warning to lumberjacks who were drinking heavily, ruining the natural terrain, and patronizing prostitutes.

Chicago had its own sinfulness.

Is the current crisis in California, which has now famously swept through rich neighborhood after rush neighborhood, erasing the mansion of celebrities, also a “chastisement”?

Adele’s companions, unable to see Our Lady asked, “Adele, who is it? Why can’t we see her as you do?”

“Kneel,” said Adele, “the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.”

The Blessed Lady gazed kindly upon them, saying, “Blessed are they that believe without seeing.” Then, looking toward Adele, the Queen of Heaven asked, “What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?”

“What more can I do, dear Lady?” asked Adele, weeping.

“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.”

“But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Adele said.

“Teach them,” replied her radiant visitor, “their Catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.”

“Then, wrapped as it were in a luminous atmosphere, Our Lady lifted her hands as though she were beseeching a blessing for those at her feet,” notes the website dedicated to this case. “Slowly, she vanished from sight, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrated on the ground. This was the simple beginning of Adele’s mission to become a teacher for the Lord and the Blessed Lady.”

Another U.S. apparition, this one based in Ohio and partly approved (“Our Lady of America”) also warned of fire, and once, when asked what the future held, Saint Padre Pio famously intoned, “Can’t you see that the world is catching on fire.?” (page 296, Bernard Ruffin’s Padre Pio, The True Story, the best biography).

[resources: Fear of Fire]