In October 8, 1871 the Great Chicago Fire started. Nobody really knows how the fire started, but according to legend, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in a barn. The fire travelled quickly through the wooden buildings of downtown Chicago. Everything was very dirty; the wind was hot. Within 24 hours, the fire burnt nearby four square miles, a third of the city. The fire killed 300 people and destroyed 17,000 buildings. 100000 people suffered the loss of their homes. The property loss was about $200 million. But Chicagoans soon started to rebuild their city, and Chicago continues to be one of the most important cities in the United States.