The Great Fire

Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. 1995. 144p. 151 mins. ISBN 9780439203074. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Sunday October 8, 1871 was a day like any other in the great town of Chicago. People had been out enjoying church, spending time with their families, or working in one of the many industries scattered through town. The weather had been extremely hot and dry for this time of year, and no measurable precipitation had fallen in months. With most of the city built of wood, fires were a constant danger and several procedures had been developed over the years to prevent widespread destruction. When a fire erupted in the barn of the O’Leary family in the southern part of Chicago, it spread quickly to adjoining structures, but all witnesses assumed that it would be put out quickly like the fire that had struck the city the previous day.

The alarm was triggered, and firefighters responded. A series of human errors led them to the wrong place, and by the time an effective firefighting force was assembled it was too late. Despite their best efforts, the harsh winds quickly spread fire from house to house, even leaping over the river to the other side. By Monday morning, the extent of the destruction was clear to everyone. Chicago had been ravaged by the fire, which continued to burn. It would take 36 hours to finally control and put of the fire, but by then over 79,000 buildings had been destroyed and more than 100,000 people were homeless. More than 300 people perished.

With the city devastated and winter fast approaching, measures were needed to ensure that food, water, and shelter were available to the residents who had lost everything. A profound economic recession stopped the rebuilding of the city, and by the time the economy improved six years later new fire and construction codes were in place, ensuring that new buildings would be fireproof.

The riveting story of the Great Fire of 1871 will fascinate readers of history as well as those who are interested in catastrophes and disasters. Fans of this book should take a look at Blizzard of Glass, the destruction of Halifax, Canada, during the First World War by what was at the time the largest man-made explosion in history.