The most devastating wildfire in Los Angeles history continues to burn, evoking comparisons to The Great Chicago Fire that decimated the Windy City more than 150 years ago.
According to Los Angeles City Fire officials, the Palisades fire, the largest of several wildfires currently burning in the area, is still at 0% containment as of Thursday morning, destroying more than a thousand structures and scorching thousands of acres of land.
Firefighters have been stymied by ferocious winds that have caused the fire to spread rapidly and prevented them from using aerial tactics to help fight the blaze.
NOW: Get all the latest coverage of the Southern California wildfires via NBC Los Angeles
So how does the Palisades fire compare to the Great Chicago Fire?
Weather Similarities
Local
In both instances, the cities impacted had gone months without significant rainfall. According to National Geographic, Chicago had received less than one-quarter of its normal rainfall amount in the months leading up to the fire, which ignited in early October 1871.
According to the Los Angeles Times, all of southern California is currently at a “moderate drought” condition, despite being in the heart of what is normally considered the rainy season in the area.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Limitations Experienced by Both Fire Departments
The Great Chicago Fire broke out on Oct. 8, 1871 on the city’s West Side. Fueled by the dry conditions and a strong wind out of the southwest, the fire jumped from block-to-block across the city, moving swiftly toward the northeast and into heavily populated areas of the city.
According to Britannica, the city’s firefighters had also been forced to battle a significant fire just a day before the Great Fire broke out, limiting their resources and testing exhausted crews to the brink. In addition, the city's Water Tower's pumps were destroyed by the fire as it raced through downtown, though the building survives and remains an iconic structure in modern days.
In Los Angeles, the fire department’s water tanks, which hold approximately one million gallons of water each, were depleted as of Wednesday morning, forcing crews to improvise to try to get more water and suppressants into areas impacted by the blazes, according to USA Today.
How Do Death Tolls, Structures Destroyed and Acreage Impacted Compare?
The Great Chicago Fire ultimately burned for several days, stopped only by rainfall, less-densely populated portions of the city’s North Side, and the blaze reaching the shores of Lake Michigan.
In the end, approximately 120 bodies were found, according to National Geographic, but it is believed that more than 300 people were ultimately killed by the fire.
The blaze destroyed more than 17,000 buildings in the city, approximately one-third of the city’s structures, and left nearly 100,000 people, approximately a third of the city’s population, homeless, according to Britannica.
The fire destroyed approximately four-square miles of the city, roughly 2,560 acres. According to maps provided by the Chicago Architecture Center, the path of devastation was bounded by Halsted on the west, Fullerton on the north, Lake Michigan to the east, and 12th Street to the south.
Despite the staggering magnitude of the Great Chicago Fire, it pales in comparison to the Palisades fire, which has destroyed nearly seven times as much land, burning more than 17,000 acres as of Thursday morning.
According to USA Today, more than 27,000 acres of Los Angeles County has burned in wildfires this week.
The Palisades fire has also destroyed more than 1,000 structures, and the Eaton fire has claimed at least five lives, according to officials.
Lighter winds are expected in Los Angeles on Thursday, but gusts could intensify again on Friday morning, forecasters warn, leaving firefighters in a difficult spot as they try to contain the blazes, according to NBC News.
