This fire has many similarities to the Great Fire of London.
It began on Sunday 8 October, though the cause is still debated. Like London, Chicago was very dry after a drought and a strong wind drove the fire into the heart of the city. Chicago was a city of closely packed wooden buildings. The streets even had wooden pavements. Once the fire reached the coal and timber-filled warehouses by the river it was out of control. The inhabitants fled across the Chicago river and took refuge along the banks of Lake Michigan and in Lincoln Park.
The wind died and a light drizzle fell late on Monday 9, putting the fire out. The fire destroyed an area ¾ mile wide and four miles long, which contained 17,500 buildings and $222 million of property. Out of a population of 300,000 people, 100,000 were made homeless and about 200-300 died.