Case Report: The Great Chicago Fire Of 1871

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The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is an iconic story because there are many theories of how the fire actually started. The Chicago Fire had started in the barn on the property of Catherine O’Leary. The Chicago Fire spread over a large area and lasted days. It was a devastating sight because homes and farm animals of other residents in the affected area. This fire cost the city of Chicago millions upon millions of dollars to rebuild the windy city. It was a very dry day the day that the fire started leaving more fuel for it to move through the city. As the fire continued to spread not only did homes burn but so did the residents of Chicago. The fire spread to one of the richest residential areas of Chicago at Michigan Avenue and 23rd Street. …show more content…

There are many conspiracies of what actually happened and some of them are more believable than others. One of the conspiracies is that Mrs. O'Leary's’ cow kicked over a lantern that she had lit in the barn. This caused a fire and with the weather being dry spread quickly. All of this fire originated at this home in Chicago with a barn and a house on a ranch just outside of the city. Even though the fire started outside the city the fire spread quickly into the city and came out with a massive area that was affected. As the fire spread it was attempted to be put out by firefighters and local citizens but the blaze was …show more content…

It says that the cow was in the barn while a lamp was lit and the cow was spooked kicking the lamp over causing the barn to catch fire. The dry conditions and the humidity made for ideal conditions for the fire to spread across the city. With the fire spreading and more homes being burnt down the number of casualties also was on the rise. The rain was the only thing that helped to stop the fire because if it did not rain there is no telling how long or far the fire would have burnt.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a tragedy that happened but nobody knows how. The best theory is that the cow in the O’Learys barn started the fire. The other theories out there are not as believable or happen so often, leaving them out of the picture in many people’s eyes. Just like when it happened many still believe that it was the O’Leary’s and their cow fault for the fire. Believing this is not very hard because it is something that could happen on any given