Big Flats, Wisconsin
| Big Flats, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location in Adams County and the state of Wisconsin. |
|
| Coordinates: 44°6′26″N 89°47′57″W / 44.10722°N 89.79917°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Adams |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Board |
| • Town Chairman | Dennis Tolley |
| • Town Supervisor 1 | Raymond Quimby |
| • Town Supervisor 2 | Todd Peterson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 48.1 sq mi (124.6 km2) |
| • Land | 48.0 sq mi (124.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,001 ft (305 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,018 |
| • Density | 21/sq mi (8.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Code | 54613 |
| Area code(s) | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-07300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1582809 |
| Website | bigflatswi |
Big Flats is a town in Adams County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,018 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Big Flats is located in the town.
The town of Big Flats was created on November 15, 1861, and the name was changed from Brownsville.
On August 27, 1994, the town of Big Flats was hit by an F3 tornado. It touched down at 8:41 P.M. CDT and was on the ground for 16 minutes. The tornado's path was 10.5 miles (16.9 km) long and 850 yards (780 m) wide. The tornado killed two people and injured 22. It destroyed 24 homes, caused major damage to 8, and light to moderate damage to 160. It destroyed the Big Flats Fire Department, the Town Hall, and a thrift store. Seventy cows were crushed when a barn roof and an upper floor containing 16,000 bales of hay collapsed. The tornado caused $1 million in damage.
Big Flats was the site of a devastating wildfire, the Cottonville Forest Fire, on May 5, 2005. It started when a man lit a fire within a fire ring constructed of concrete blocks, attempting to burn off dead grass. The fire jumped out of the ring and began burning the grass in the surrounding area. Smoke from the fire was spotted by the fire tower in Rome's Dyracuse Park.
The fire spread in a north-northeast direction, along Roche A Cri Creek. Smoke from the fire was visible from 60 miles (97 km) away. About 177 firefighters from 20 fire departments responded. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) firefighters came from as far away as Hayward. Two DNR planes used to drop foam flew in from Minnesota. By the time it was contained 11 hours later, the flames had spread northward about 10 miles (16 km). It burned approximately 3,410 acres (13.8 km2), destroying 30 residences. Approximately 60 other out-buildings were also destroyed.
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Wikipedia