The effects of the Great Chicago Fire The "Great Chicago Fire" burned and destroyed over 17,500 buildings and in the process killed over 300 people. What caused the fire to burn out of control? "A local rumour, that Mrs O'Leary's cow started the blaze by kicking over a lantern is probably not true. But that legend stuck in the public mind and holds fast to this day" (Mcnamara). While the infamous story of Mrs O'Leary and her cow is still believed by many, the real culprits of the fire were blatantly a long-lasting summer drought and a city built of wood. The legend commences when the family's cow knocks over a lighted lantern, however, Catherine O'Leary dismissed the charges. The circumstances were perfect for the fire to advance, and once it went past the neighbourhood close by O'Leary's barn, it hastened quickly.
Burning cinder came down on furniture factories and grain storage elevators, and soon the flames began to devour everything in its track. Although this is a compelling story, this was most likely not the case, and the actual cause of the raging fire has never been revealed. Hence, the unknown cause of the fire. Therefore this led people to believe that the fire was caused by the dry gusts of winds the area experienced during and before the time of the "Great Chicago Fire" or the unbelievable tale of O'leary's cow. The only reaction to the fire was to try to escape, and tens of thousands of Chicago's citizens did. It has been estimated that a fourth of the city's precisely 330,000 residents took to the streets, bringing what they could in alarm. By the time the sun had risen on Monday morning, most of Chicago was already burned entirely to the ground. Wooden buildings had disappeared into piles of ash and cinder whilst sturdier buildings of brick or stone were charred ruins, leaving most of the residents homeless. The cost of the destroyed property was estimated at $190 million, and more than 100,000 people were left without a house. The result of the "Great Chicago Fire", the city was left with almost nothing and had to rebuild from the ground up. While the Great Chicago Fire was one of the 19th century's significant disasters and a resounding blow to the city, the city was rebuilt relatively fast. And with the rebuilding came better construction and much stricter fire codes. They were inflicting lessons of Chicago's destruction affected how other cities were managed. The "Great Chicago Fire" burned and destroyed over 17,500 buildings and in the process killed over 300 people. While the fire was the result of the dry and windy weather of Chicago, many lives could've been saved. Not only lives but homes and businesses, as well as the livelihood of these people. Not only was it the dry weather, but human error as well as many people failing to do their jobs in these times of events. While most people blame Mrs O'leary or the conditions of the weather, it was in all honesty, the errors made by all the people.
a few grammatical errors and punctuation, but all fixed
