Fire Prevention Week for 2016 is fast approaching and InvestorPlace has collected a few things to know about it.
- Fire Prevention Week takes place every year on the week that contains Oct. 9
- The week, starting with Sunday and lasting through Saturday, containing Oct. 9 was chosen to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
- The Great Chicago Fire started on Oct. 8, but most of the damage was done on the following day.
- The incident resulted in more than 250 deaths, 17,400 structures being destroyed and over 2,000 acres being burned.
- Urban legends claim that the fire was started when a cow kicked over a lantern, but it could have been a variety of different factors.
- It’s also thought the fire may have started from two boys sneaking cigarettes, or that a meteor set many areas on fire that day.
- The Great Chicago Fire wasn’t the largest fire to happen during that time period.
- Another fire that broke out in Peshtigo, Wis., was much larger than the Great Chicago Fire.
- This fire destroyed 16 towns, killed 1,152 people and burned 1.2 million acres before coming to an end.
- The first National Fire Prevention Day was announced by President Woodrow Wilson in 1920.
- It was extended to become National Fire Prevention Week in 1922.
- There is a theme for National Fire Prevention Week every year and this one’s urges people to check the age of their smoke detectors.
- The last two years have also focused on smoke detectors due to how vital they are at helping prevent fires.
You can learn more about National Fire Prevention Week at this website.
