Fire Commander is our way to celebrate the heroes of the real world. For some time now on our Facebook and Twitter we’ve been remembering the greatest fires in history. Take a look at some of the events we’ve covered.
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This was a sad time for New York. The city still healing from a cholera epidemic suffered a
winter fire that covered 17 blocks. It all started in a warehouse, with strong winds spreading the blaze.
With the rivers frozen, fighting the fire was extremely difficult. Firefighters had to drill holes in the ice.
Water froze in transport. Buildings were blown up to create a debris barrier to stop the flames.
647 buildings destroyed. $20 million lost. Fortunately, only 2 people were killed. It was
the greatest fire to date in America's history.
In the aftermath, the city built aqueducts for quick water access.
It was a terrifying and costly event in the history of Chicago. The Chicago Fire of 1871
burned for two days straight in October.
It is said that the fire was caused by a cow kicking over a lantern in a barn. There are also other theories, one says it might have even been a meteor. The true cause of the fire has never been determined.
The fire
destroyed thousands of buildings in the Windy City and caused the death of around
300 people before the much-needed rain helped put it out. It also cost the city an estimated 200 million dollars in damages.
However great the losses, Chicago raised from the ashes like a phoenix. The reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth.
Still fresh in our memory, the California wildfires of 2021 serve as a prime example of fire still being an untamable force of nature. Between January and October, there were more than 8,000 fires that burned over three times the area than in 2020.
The fire that destroyed over 1300 buildings--the largest one this year--is known as the Dixie Fire, named after the creek where it originated. It raged for months, from July 13th, and was finally put out only a couple of days ago, on October 25th.
The total area of the fire is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. The fire significantly affected the quality of air in the entire Western United States.
The Dixie Fire will be known as the most expensive fire operation in California’s history to date.
