All of the city's sidewalks and many roads were also made of wood. More than two-thirds of the structures in Chicago at the time of the fire were made entirely of wood, with most of the houses and buildings being topped with highly combustible tar or shingle roofs. The fire's spread was aided by the city's use of wood as the predominant building material in a style called balloon frame. Still other speculation suggests that the blaze was related to other fires in the Midwest that day. O'Leary's cow, who allegedly knocked over a lantern others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern. There has been much speculation over the years on a single start to the fire. City officials never determined the cause of the blaze, but the rapid spread of the fire due to a long drought in that year's summer, strong winds from the southwest, and the rapid destruction of the water pumping system, explain the extensive damage of the mainly wooden city structures. The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire. on October 8, in or around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family that bordered the alley behind 137 W. The fire is claimed to have started at about 8:30 p.m. Abbott, Photographer, whose studio at 976 (now 2201) N. A strong wind blowing towards the northeast spared the O'Leary cottage and the buildings seen here to its west. As this view suggests, the neighborhood was congested with mean wooden buildings and a variety of industry, a condition which helped to spread the fire of 1871 as rapidly as it did. Origin 1871 Chicago view before the 'Great Conflagration' The cottage of Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, 137 (now 558) W. A donation from the United Kingdom spurred the establishment of the Chicago Public Library. The city government improved building codes to stop the rapid spread of future fires and rebuilt rapidly to those higher standards. Help flowed to the city from near and far after the fire. The fire leapt the south branch of the Chicago River and destroyed much of central Chicago and then leapt the main stem of the river, consuming the Near North Side. A long period of hot, dry, windy conditions, and the wooden construction prevalent in the city, led to the conflagration. The fire began in a neighborhood southwest of the city center. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km 2) of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. An artist's rendering of the fire, by Currier and Ives.
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