The Great Chicago Fire was an important milestone in the city's history. The fire started on October 8, 1871 and did not end until October 10, 1871. People never saw this fire coming, which could have made it even worse. The only reason it spread so far was because everything was made of wood, the ground was parched, and the wind was blowing that night; the reason he stopped was because it had started to rain. Although the fire destroyed most of the city, it was a positive turning point in history. The Chicago Fire improved firefighting and equipment, created new buildings made from fireproof materials, and attracted big investors to the city. There were then more than 334,000 inhabitants in Chicago (Burgan). Ninety percent of Chicago's buildings were constructed of wood in the 19th century. The streets and even the sidewalks were also made of wood. There were fifty-six miles of wooden roads and five hundred and sixty-one miles of sidewalks. In 1871, there was little to no rain that summer, so the ground was very dry, making it more vulnerable. Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary were residing in Chicago at that time; they lived at 137 DeKoven Street, where the fire actually started. The O'Learys had five children; they also had a barn filled with five cows, a calf, a horse, two tons of hay and two tons of coal, which presented a huge fire hazard. The barn and everything in it was Mrs. O'Leary's livelihood, but the barn was not insured because they were very poor. Mr. O'Leary worked as a laborer and Mrs. O'Leary kept her cows in a barn to sell their milk to neighbors (Edmond). October 8, 1871 was one of the worst days in history. A fire broke out at the O'Leary residence around nine o'clock in the evening (chi...... middle of paper ......y from the O'Leary barn, so how did it -he could hear of the Historians agree that the fire actually started behind the O'Leary barn. In 1997, the Chicago Council passed an ordinance exonerating Mrs. O. "Leary of any guilt. This exoneration was convinced by. Bales' work. What happened that night will always be a mystery (Edmond). The Great Chicago Fire was very devastating. Many people lost everything they had. better equipment, better building materials, and big investors The economy and population have both increased since 1871. There is no precise explanation for how the fire started. but there are certainly plenty of stories about how Mrs. O' got started and her cow will forever be a Chicago legend..