CentralNotice Great Chicago Fire From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search Artist's rendering of the fire, by John R. Chapin , originally printed in Harper's Weekly ; the view faces northeast across the Randolph Street Bridge. The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871. The fire killed up to 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km 2 ) of Chicago , Illinois , and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. [ 1 ] Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, and destroyed much of the city's central business district, Chicago was rebuilt and continued to grow as one of the most populous and economically important American cities. 1 Origin 2 Spread of the blaze 3 Aftermath 4 Questions about the fire 5 Surviving structures 6 ...