Is it true that Mrs Olearys cow started the Chicago Fire?
Why would a lit lantern be in a shed with a cow? If a cow kicked over a lantern that was lit, someone would have been there, and it would have been an easy matter of putting out a small fire, if a fire started at all. Lanterns typically have a glass shroud/cylinder protecting the flame. Even if the flame did not go out, the shroud would have given whoever was there enought time to prevent a fire or stomp out a very small one. The whole thing with the cow kicking a lantern is absurd, as are most other hypotheses. It was probably arson, or some type of more significant fire in a area that was prone to quick spreading. Maybe it did start around the barn area; maybe the buildings in the area were made of old, dry wood that would easily burn; maybe it did not take much for a fire to spread if ruptured gas lines were involved.
