On the night of October 8, 1871, in a small barn on DeKoven Street, a fire started. Two days later, 300 people were dead, 100,000 were homeless and 3.3 square miles of Chicago were in ruins. Yet the people of Chicago did not give up; they were determined to rebuild this great city by the lake.
Jim Murphy's award-winning book about The Great Fire is thought to be the definitive guide to one of the greatest disasters in American history. Maps, historic photos and newspaper clippings help plot the timeline before, during and after the fire.
From horse-drawn water wagons to water-wielding helicopters, Fighting Fire! is a survey of 10 of the deadliest blazes in history and how each changed the way we fight fires today.
Experience the Firestorm! of Chicago Fire through the eyes of two 12-year-old boys in this well-researched, fictionalized account of the fire.
Explore more about the fire and examine how the city rebuilt in National Geographic Education's report The Chicago Fire of 1871 and the “Great Rebuilding.”
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