On Sunday, October 18, 1871, the largest fire ever experienced in Chicago broke out. Hundreds of people died and thousands of homes were destroyed. The devastation dominated the city, its ashes floating gracefully in the air as bodies, houses and precious objects burned. People were running in fear, holding their little ones in their arms, crying for those who had left, seeking safety. In search of life. Looking for hope. The last few weeks had been hot, dry and rainless. A drought. It hadn't rained for three months. Yet, despite the drought, the O'Leary family had an exceptional October. The O'Leary family consisted of Mrs. O'Leary, her husband and 5 children. Mr. O'Leary worked as a laborer, while Mrs. O'Leary looked after the cows and children. The family lived on welfare, but led a fairly honest life, and Mrs. O'Leary sold fresh milk on the side. A small way to earn a little more money for your family. Later that night, Lady O'Leary was milking her cows and decided to come over and end the evening. She left the barn and headed towards her house and began to prepare for her sleep. While the family was sleeping peacefully, a fire broke out. The incident broke out in the barn of their home. Caused by Mrs. O'Leary and her cow. The cow had knocked over an oil lantern left in the barn by the woman. The fire would be his fault, and this fault would be accompanied by many deaths and hatred. People around town were going to bed, everything seemed relatively normal. The smoke thins in the dark night sky, the faint smell of burning wood. Everything is normal for Chicago. Fires were part of daily life in this wooden town. Around 2 a.m., the fire no longer seemed so normal and average. A wicked flame was being born, it was coming to life. This fire would burn... middle of paper... in dollars of damage. It showed Chicagoans that what truly mattered was not the buildings or objects the city had, but the people. Without them, Chicago would still be in ruins after that terrible day. Works Cited “Did the Great Chicago Fire Really Start with Mrs. O'Leary's Cow? How things work. Np, and Web. November 6, 2013. “The Great Chicago Fire: Chicago is Burning!” » http://chicagohistory.org/mychicago/pdf/lesson3.pdf. Np, nd Web. “The Great Chicago Fire: Chicago is Burning!” » Np, nd Web. “The Great Chicago Fire.” The Great Chicago Fire. Np, and Web. November 1, 2013. “The Great Chicago Fire.” The Great Chicago Fire. Np, and Web. November 6, 2013. McHugh, Janet. The Great Chicago Fire. New York: Bearport, 2007. Print. Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. New York: Scholastic, 1995. Print.PBS. PBS and Web. November 4. 2013.