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
