The Great Chicago Fire 1871

Read the story. Find the information and answer the questions below with a short sentence or write down the numbers. When the American people settled the Western part of the USA, towns grew quickly. Chicago, for example, grew from 29.000 in 1850 to 298.000 in 1870. The cities grew so fast that people lived very close together and not everyone could afford living in a house made of stone, so they lived in huts built out of wood. People who arrived in a big city, as Chicago, often came from small towns. So when they started living in the city, they would still keep animals.
One of these animals is the reason for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. While a women milked her cow, the cow kicked over an oil lamp and the hut started burning. Because it was a very hot summer and the houses were built without much space between them, there was a lot of dry material to burn. The fire spread fast and burned for three days. During these three days an area of 9 square kilometer burned down in the city, 300 people died and 100.000 people lost their homes.
On the same day 400 kilometers north of Chicago another fire broke out. The Peshtigo Fire was even bigger then the Chicago Fire. It caused the death of 1.500 people and burned an area of around 6.000 square kilometer . That is twice the size of the Saarland.
Since Chicago is a famous city and Peshtigo a small town, the Great Chicago Fire is well remembered. For example, the soccer team of Chicago is called „Chicago Fire“ and the athletes of the local university are nicknamed „Flames“.

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The Great Chicago Fire