On the evening of Sunday, October 8, 1871, the cry of fire rang out onDeKovenStreet. Catherine and Patrick O'Leary's barn went up in flames, beginning what would be one of the most important events in Chicago's history. Fed by dry and windy weather, the fire spread through the city rapidly, traveling mostly to the north and east. Firefighters called to the scene were initially sent to the wrong address, delaying their response, and the fire was completely out of control by the time they arrived at the O'Leary home.

When the fire was finally contained a day and a half later on October 10, it had destroyed 18,000 buildings over three and a half square miles and completely wiped out Chicago's business district. The fire made it as far north as Belden Avenue, one block south of Fullerton, four miles north of where it began. More than three hundred people lost their lives in the fire. One hundred thousand people were left homeless.

Residents and business owners wasted no time in rebuilding. The city even used much of the cleared rubble to make new land in the area south of the Chicago River. Business owners and city agencies established temporary headquarters in churches, houses, and other repurposed buildings while they waited for new construction.

A Chicago Fire Department Training Facility opened on the site of the fire's origin in 1956. "Pillar of Fire," a sculpture byEgonWeiner, was installed at the site in 1961. The site was designated a Chicago landmark in 1971. 

Historic image:Destruction of Chicago by fire, 1871, courtesy Library of Congress