On 15 October 1908 a fire broke out in Metz Township, Presque Isle County, Michigan. That fire was sustained by an unusually dry environment as well as the wind as late Summer was unusually hot and dry that year. The fire burned all the way from Metz Township to the Lake Huron shore 35 miles away. Several owns were completely destroyed.
A relief train was dispatched to help those threatened by the fire. Unfortunately, the train itself was caught in the fire. As a result of that, many of those on board of the train perished in the fire. Overall, at least 37 people died in the fire.
This disaster was very intense but limited to a small area that was relatively sparsely populated - and still is. Its population is slightly below 13,000 now and likely was way lower in 1908. Unfortunately, at the time search and rescue capabilities were very limited in comparison to what they are now. Same for communication and notification capabilities. Same for survival and protection technologies. All of that basically meant that casualties on that level due to natural disasters, including weather-related ones, were often on the same scale as those of this horrific fire that came to be known as the Metz Fire.
In comparison, the recent Hurricane Ian swept across vast swaths of states of Florida, South Carolina and several other states in the US as well as Cuba and several other Caribbean nations. Millions of people were caught in it. Yet, by official count, the death count for this hurricane was only 137. This demonstrates the difference that technological progress has brought in the intervening years. And, contrary to what climate catastrophists may want you to believe, we've never been as safe as we are now from the wrath of nature.
References
The Terrible Story of those that Tried to Escape a Wildfire on a Rescue Train (video)
Resless Viking, 6 October 2022
The Metz Fire of 1908
USGenNet Data Repository
Presque Isle County, Michigan (wiki)
Hurricane Ian makes landfall again, this time in South Carolina
Meg Kinnard and Adriana Gomez Licon, Boston Globe, 30 September 2022