The
Great Chicago Fire was a
conflagration that burned in the American city of
Chicago in October 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km
2) of the city (including more than 17,000 structures), and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. It began in a neighborhood
southwest of the city center and spread rapidly, amid a long period of hot, dry, windy weather. The fire leapt the
south branch of the
Chicago River and destroyed much of
central Chicago before crossing the
main stem of the river and consuming the
Near North Side. This
Currier and Ives lithograph, titled
Chicago in Flames, shows an artist's rendering of the Great Chicago Fire, facing northeast across the
Randolph Street Bridge, with thousands of people fleeing on foot and by carriage.
Lithograph credit: Currier and Ives
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