Essay On Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, and destroyed much of the city’s businesses. This disaster and the rebuilding of the city made Chicago one of the most important American cities. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow is blamed as the most common cause of this fire. The fire started at about 9 P.M. on October 8th, 1871. The reconstruction of Chicago started a rapid increase in economic development and population growth.

The fire was around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family that surrounded an alley behind a street called Dekoven Street. The first building to be consumed by the fire was the shed next to the barn, but many city officials never determined the exact cause of the fire. Over the years there were speculations. The most popular speculation was Mrs. O’Leary’s cow; therefore, others suspect that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern. There were still others that suggested that the fire connected to other fires in the area that day.

During the year, the Chicago Fire Department had almost 200 firefighters with only 17 horse-drawn steam engines to protect the city. The response to the fire department was quick, but there was an error due to Chicago’s watchman Matthias
Fire whirls were the main reason of the spread of fire debris going far and high. As that was happening, firefighters continued to fight the tremendous flames. A huge piece of lumber fell on top of the city’s waterworks causing the building to burst into flames, destroying it. The city’s water mains went dry, and the city was helpless. The fire went all over the city from each building and block. Luckily, later that day on the 9th, it began to rain, but since the fire burned so much of the area, it already burned itself out. The populated area had been consumed from the