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Midwest Report - GFPN News Flash
GFPN News Flash
FIRE! DESTRUCTION OF DOWNTOWN CHICAGO!
July 22, 2079: Chicago, IL (S. Rysemus)
During Saturday afternoon, and evening, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, this city has been swept by a
conflagration of the likes that hasn't been seen since the Great Fire of 1871. An explosion in the
Water Filtration Plant near Navy Pier started this inferno, which has laid waste to the entire downtown
area, as well as parts of the west and south side of Chicago. At this time it is impossible to determine
how great the loss of property and lives, but suffice it to say when the final reckoning is done, it will
be tremendous. Unconfirmed reports have been received that flames have traveled along the lake as far
south as Gary, Indiana, and that the old US Steel plant caught fire causing a huge explosion.
At 3:00 p.m. Saturday, an already overworked water plant had run into problems with its filter system.
Water was not being cleaned to the proper standards, it is at this point that information has not been
confirmed, but untold quantities of chlorine were added to the system in the hopes of cleaning up the
problems. The thought was more chlorine would thin out the water and allow it to flow through the filters,
thus bringing the water up to the clean standards. Apparently something in the contaminated water caused a
chemical reaction once the content of chlorine exceeded safety standards which touched off a spontaneous
explosion that all but leveled the entire plant, setting fire to the lake and the surrounding area.
Before emergency equipment could arrive, the fire had already spread over the water and onto nearby
buildings, being blown by a strong westerly wind. Moving rapidly, the fire spread west to Michigan Ave.
Leaping buildings and streets, the blaze traveled south all the way to the river. In as short a time
as 30 minutes, the fire had covered three square blocks, extending north to Huron.
Emergency crews had trouble keeping up with the blaze. Spreading faster than the men could work, the fire,
fanned by the wind, would jump over the men and equipment, stranding them in the middle of a hellish
nightmare. Moving north, the inferno crossed Chicago Ave at its north, and State Street on its western
border. While on the south, the river seemed to contain the raging blaze from moving any further south.
General looting began to take its toll on the rescue workers. Even to the point where fire fighters came
under attack as looters tried to gain access to buildings not yet on fire.
By 8:00 PM, the fire, blown by high winds managed to jump the river to move south to Monroe. Up to the
north, fire could be seen all the way to North Ave., and west to Halsted Street and the river. It was
said that citizens of Milwaukee could see the great conflagration from their own town. Rescue workers
continued to be hampered by sparks, blowing wind, flying debris, and the looters. Law enforcement personnel
were scarce, outnumbered, or too afraid to do their duty.
Through the night the inferno raged, crossing the river west. By sunrise Sunday, the northern boundary was
Irving Park Road, Cermak to the south, and Ashland to the west. Portions of 94 were closed as the fire
raged all around the expressway. By now the winds had shifted to a more southerly direction. Rescue
workers were now able to make head way, giving up the south side to concentrate on the north and west
sides.
Looting continued as fire burned southward, damage to the north side of the downtown area was extensive.
What had not been touched by the flames, which wasn't much, had been vandalized by looters. The Merchandise
Mart was nothing more than a burned out shell, and the first twenty five floors of the Hancock building
were scorched and looted, as was the bottom 52 floors of the Sears Tower. To the north, all the grass,
Ivy, and bleachers were up in smoke at Wrigley Field. All that stood of Holy Name Cathedral was the steeple.
Meanwhile the fires still raged to the south.
As the sun set Sunday, the entire museum campus was in ruin, Soldiers field was said to look like a
gigantic torch. To the west the fire finally stopped at Western Ave, but had gone as far south as Garfield
Blvd. Nothing was left untouched by the flames, city parks including Grant Park were a barren wasteland.
Schools and the university all lay in ruins, gone were hospitals which caused further crisis as there was
no where to take the injured.
At this point the wind changed once again, finally turning eastward. Fire fighters finally started to get
a handle on things, stemming the western march of the fire. At one point, reports that the fire extended
up the lake almost to Milwaukee before dying out on the water. And to the south in Gary, there was nothing
left of the steel plant.
So much was in ruin, so much ablaze, it looked like Chicago was an ocean of fire. As the sun set on Monday,
well over 3900 acres of buildings, and parks were destroyed. Tens of thousands left homeless, while untold
had died. Highways had been scorched to the point of weakened structures deemed unfit for travel. Emergency
vehicles had been abandoned as crews tried to escape the flames on foot.
Tuesday dawned with most fires out, or only smoldering. Chicago was a smoking hulk of its former self.
Rescue efforts finally began in earnest. Now the accounting could begin. This reporter asks that if you
have information on the names of any deceased to report them to your nearest GFPN office, that information
will be re-directed to the proper authorities.
