Chicago Fire

The great chicago fire was a fire that started on October 10, 1871. The origins of the fire are not know however the popular explanation is that a cow kicked over a lantern at the farm of the O'Learys and started it. It burned for 2 days and destroyed about four miles of downtown Chicago. At the time, Chicago's structures were made out of wood which aided the spread of the fire. IT also didn't help that firefighters were tired from fighting a fire that taken place just the day before only a few miles from the blaze. Although the fire destroyed both structures and lives alike, it caused the rebuild of the city. " The New City" of Chicago adopted new buildings with safer buildings. These buildings still stand today and helped Chicago become one of the most successful cities in the United States.