Contributions to the Spread of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871Many events led to the spread of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, including difficulties with the fire department, weather conditions, and the types of buildings in Chicago. The cause of the fire is still undefined today; however, there are many theories as to how it began. Some believe a cow kicked a lantern inside a stable while others believe a meteorite fell to Earth and created the fire. Despite all theories, the inferno became uncontrollable when it could have been put out quite quickly (Smith). The fire, which broke out on October 8, 1871, spread so rapidly that it was unmanageable. One of the reasons the fire became so unsuppressable is that firefighters were already exhausted from putting out the fire the day before. Firefighters underestimated the potential of this fire when they first responded. Following the fire the previous day, the firefighters' equipment, including the fire hose, was not in the best condition. Furthermore, there was a shortage of available hose (Murphy 30). Mathias Schafer, the fire warden, was stationed in the court tower. Upon sighting a fire, he communicated, via a voice tube, the location of the fire to a telegraph operator. The operator should then strike a fire alarm box closest to the location of the fire. On the evening of the fire, Schafer noticed a light to the southwest. He called the night operator and told him to hit box 342, which was a mile away from the O'Leary barn. Schafer later realized he had made a mistake and called the operator again. She told the operator to hit a different box, but he refused. He stated that he did not want to confuse the fire ... middle of paper ... accession of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (10 Facts About the Great Chicago Fire). Works Cited"10 Facts About the Great Chicago Fire." Palisadespete. 04 December 2012. 02 November 2013. .Bales, Richard F. "Did the Cow Do It?" Mrs O'Leary's exoneration. Michael Bales, May 12, 2004. November 02, 2013. “Story Files – Chicago Fire.” Chicagohs.org. Chicago Historical Society, 1999. 02 November 2013. .Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. New York: Scholastic, 1995. Smith, Carl, Franklyn Bliss Snyder, Rodolfo Vieira, and Harlan Wallach. "The Legend of O'Leary." Greatchicagofire.org. Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University, 2011. 02 November. 2013. .