Great Chicago Fire only of rain from July 4 to October 9, causing severe drought conditions before the fire, while strong southwest winds helped to carry flying embers toward the heart of the city. In 1871, the Chicago Fire Department had 185 firefighters with just 17 horse-drawn steam engines to protect the entire city. The initial response by the fire department was quick, but due to an error by the watchman, Matthias Schaffer, the firefighters were sent to the wrong place, allowing the fire to grow unchecked. An alarm sent from the area near the fire also failed to register at the courthouse
Great Oulu fire of 1652 Great Oulu fire of 1652 The great Oulu fire of 1652 was a conflagration that destroyed the majority of the young city of Oulu, Finland on 2 October 1652. Almost all of the houses of the town’s bourgeoisie, the provision warehouses in which the Crown’s grain and money was stored and the drawbridge of Oulu Castle were destroyed. The city was rebuilt after the fire according to the city plan drawn up by surveyor Claes Claesson in 1651. The new city plan doubled the surface area of the town. At the same time, the streets and city blocks were laid