Fires Compared
The East Bay fire was one of the most destructive fires in U.S. history. Here’s a comparison to two other billion-dollar blazes :
EAST BAY WILDFIRE
The fire caused about $5 billion in damage. It destroyed approximately 1,800 houses and 900 apartments, and it left 19 people dead, 148 injured and as many as 54 missing.
GREAT SAN FRANCISCO QUAKE
The 1906 earthquake was followed by a raging fire, touched off by overturned gas stoves and lamps, and fed by exploding gas mains. The firestorm destroyed 28,000 buildings. About 700 people died, and about 300,000 lost their homes. It is estimated to have caused $5 billion in damage, in 1990 dollars.
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago catastrophe of 1871 was supposedly started when a cow belonging to Mrs. Patrick O’Leary kicked over a lighted lamp in a barn. Fanned by high winds, the flames raced through the city, killing at least 300 people and leaving 90,000 homeless. The downtown area and most of the North Side were destroyed. The damage estimate, in 1990 dollars, is $1.8 billion.
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