BRADFORD — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says a natural gas migration from a well drilled in 1881 caused a house to blow up in northwestern Pennsylvania in February.

From a reader comes an historical and personal account of the Fire of 1881 in Michigan’s Thumb. Written by an Irving Hand, the recollection describes a family’s experience with the fire.

March 1, 1881: Fire destroys the State Capitol. ... THE SCENE IN THE HOUSE was even more ... and for rebuilding the present structure or some new one. The fire department battled bravely with the ...