Great Chicago Fire Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to Tuesday, October 10, 1871. The fire killed up to 300 people, destroyed roughly of Chicago, Illinois, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. The fire began in a neighborhood southwest of the city center. A long period of hot, dry, windy conditions, and the wooden construction prevalent in the city lead to a conflagration. The fire leapt the south branch of the Chicago River and destroyed much of central Chicago, and then leapt the main branch of the river consuming the near north
The Great Fire of Key West so long and destroy so much of the city. Since 1875, the city had a serious fire department, organized first by A. H. Dorsett. However, at the time of the fire, the city's only steam fire engine had been sent to New York for repair. Firefighters were only able to use less effective measures like hand pumpers. Secondly, on the night when the fire occurred, strong winds were blowing, which caused the fire to start up again even where it appeared to have been put out. There is speculation that the fire was started on purpose by arsonists sent by