From October 8th to 10th in the year 1871, the City of Chicago was devastated by a massive conflagration of fire. Roughly three and a half miles of the City was destroyed, approximately 300 people died and more than 100,000 residents were left homeless. You can read a summary of the event at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire Several stone structures survived – like the the famed Chicago Water Tower on Michigan Avenue. These structures still stand today as a legacy to that horrific fire that rampaged through the City. Everything else was consumed. Yet. . . . .

There were perhaps half a dozen wooden-structured homes that survived in the middle of the raging inferno of flames. A few homes left standing amidst the charred neighborhoods (the Ogden House; Bellinger Cottage; the Lind Block). How in the world did they survive? Fasten your seat belts. . . . .

When the fire began, the owners of the homes that endured promptly covered their dwellings with burlap, blankets and clothing – with the cloth hanging over the roofs and sometimes down to the ground. And then . . . . they began soaking the fabric with water. They continued to soak – as the flaming embers flew, settled and fizzled out. This lesson of 150 years ago might be of value. Perhaps providing rolled up – fire-retardant – fabric for the roof with an irrigation system. Fire approaches? Roll down the fabric, turn on the water for constant soaking and make your escape. And hope for the best.

A footnote on this topic – I learned as a Boy Scout that you can fill a paper cup with water and put it on the burner on your stove – and boil the water without the paper burning. Yep. Maybe there’s another way to protect a home – from the inside out. Who knows. . . . .