The Great Chicago Fire starts at about…

The Great Chicago Fire starts at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small barn that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street.

The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary.

In 1893, Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who wrote the O'Leary account, admitted he had made it up as colorful copy.

The barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire, but the official report could not determine the exact cause.

The fire's spread is aided by the city's use of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carry flying embers toward the heart of the city.

The city do not react quickly enough, and at first, residents are not concerned about it, not realizing the high risk of conditions.

The firefighters are tired from having fought a fire the day before.

The firefighters fight the flames through the entire day and become exhausted.

As the fire jumps to a nearby neighborhood, it begins to destroy mansions, houses and apartments, most made of wood and dried out from the drought.