For two days in 1871 fire ravaged Chicago, Illinois. The fire destroyed 3.3sqm (9km2) of the city. The Great Chicago Fire is finally extinguished after three days, leaving approximately 300 dead and 100,000 homeless, and causing $222 million in damage
The conflagration began around a small barn belonging to the O’Leary family, southwest of the city center. The exact cause has never been determined, although a popular story that a cow owned by Catherine O’Leary at the farm knocked over a lantern and began the fire.
Two-thirds of structures in Chicago in 1871 were made of wood, and the fire spread rapidly.
By the time the fire was extinguished on October 10, some 17,500 buildings were destroyed.
Help came from around the country and around the world; the United Kingdom made a donation that led to the establishment of the Chicago Public Library, and the city was rebuilt with stringent building codes.
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