The conditions for the disaster that would become known as the Great Chicago Fire actually began earlier that Summer. The region was struck by drought and the ground was ready for a spark. That also meant that any wooden city, such as Chicago, was especially vulnerable.
That evening about 9 pm around a small barn behind DeKoven Street owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, the fire started. Although the O’Leary’s would be widely blamed, with the common story being the O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lantern, no one really knows the exact cause of the blaze, and convergence of weather and human errors would cause it to spread.
A bit of Chicago trivia .. what used to be the O'Leary home is now the site of the Chicago Fire Academy. These days, however, current mayor Brandon Johnson is creating a firestorm of his own.
ReplyDelete>>Historically, the Peshtigo Fire has been somewhat overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire, though the Peshtigo Fire covered a much greater area and had many more fatalities. The Peshtigo Fire burned 1,875 square miles and destroyed twelve communities, killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people.<<
ReplyDeleteMassasoit Libraries
https://library.massasoit.edu › americanfires › peshtigo
Early ANTIFA riot obviously.
ReplyDeleteMy introduction to the Peshtigo Fire was reading this article in the back issues my parents saved. - https://www.americanheritage.com/fire-makes-wind-wind-makes-fire
ReplyDeleteI like the bit about meteorites being cool. When they come down throught the atmosphere they leave a trail of fire. When you find them a day or two later, they might be cool. I doubt very much they cool fast enough to not cause fire if they hit the right tinder.
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