The Duluth Paranormal Society plans on launching an investigation into paranormal activity surrounding the 1918 fires, a massive wildfire that killed 453 people and remains Minnesotaโs worst natural disaster.
Sparked by a passing train on Oct. 10, 1918, during a record dry season, the wildfire turned into an inferno as winds started gusting up to 76 mph, according to the National Weather Service. When the fire finally ceased, 38 communities were destroyed, and 250,000 acres were burned. โIt happened really quickly, so a lot of people were scrambling to get away from it. So just the trauma of that event, we think could be significant,โ said Sarah Powers, society co-director.
The society’s primary objective, according to Powers, is to dispel any hauntings by remaining as scientific-minded as possible. To do so, they set up a makeshift security system at sites of interest using audio and visual equipment, as well as devices that measure electromagnetic activity, to detect paranormal activity and monitor it for up to six hours.
โWhen we go into an investigation, we are looking to debunk everything first, and when we can’t, then that’s something that we would consider actual evidence,โ Powers said.
