1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Fire, the blazing inferno, the destruction of great cities, buildings, 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: and most importantly of people's homes and lives. What we've 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: seen this week in California has been really heartrending. But 4 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: we're not alone. Mother Nature has left ashes and ruining 5 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: every century. We try to figure out who to blame. 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 1: But there's more to it than that. I'm Patty Steele 7 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: looking into the fire. Next on the backstory. We're back 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: with the backstory. We've all been fixated on the horrific 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: fires out in California. Thousands of homes and businesses lost, 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: people without their homes. At last count, five lives lost, 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: but that's not a true telling since fires are still 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: burning at this moment and almost two hundred thousand people 13 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: have been ordered to flee the flames. It's devastating. Fire 14 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: is unlike so many other hugely destructive events. No one 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: to blame but mother nature. Although there are narratives just 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: about arson, but also the impact of climate change and 17 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: the politicians that allegedly didn't prepare for this kind of catastrophe. 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: But here's the thing, this is certainly not an unprecedented event. 19 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: Fire is almost unmanageable. It pops up rereeks, havoc and 20 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: moves on. We all like to find someone to blame, 21 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: and frequently there is someone or something to point a 22 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: finger at, but it's definitely nothing new. There was the 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: fire that destroyed the Library of Alexandria around forty eight BC. 24 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: It was a crazy loss of history. The library held 25 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: the knowledge of the ancient world, stored in half a 26 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: million scrolls from Assyria, Greece, Persia, Egypt, and India. Some 27 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: believe Julius Caesar was to blame. There was the massive 28 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: fire in Rome in sixty four AD, which burned for 29 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: almost a week and completely destroyed that city. Emperor Nero 30 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: blamed the Christians, but folks who saw him watching the 31 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,559 Speaker 1: inferno from his palace claimed he was smiling and playing 32 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: his fiddle, and they blamed him. Ultimately, the Christians were 33 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: blamed and were publicly punished. Some were torn apart by dogs, 34 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: others crucified, many burned alive. This included Saint Perpetua, who 35 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: wrote in her diary about what she went through as 36 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: she prepared for trial. She says her father begged her 37 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,959 Speaker 1: to disavow her Christian beliefs, but she said she couldn't 38 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: do it. She wrote. He kissed my feet and begged 39 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: me have pity on your father. If I am worthy. 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: I've brought you up to this blossoming youth, and I've 41 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: preferred you to your all. Your brothers. Look upon them, 42 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 1: your mother and Anne, look upon your son, who will 43 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: not survive you. Give up your resolution, she replied, whatever 44 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: God wishes will be done at this tribunal. When convicted, 45 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: she and her family were condemned to be eaten by 46 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: wild animals. Then sixteen hundred years later, there was the 47 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: Great Fire of London. It was sixteen sixty six and 48 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: it raced through the city during the Black Plague and 49 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: destroyed over thirteen thousand homes, leaving one hundred thousand homeless. 50 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: The fire gutted the majority of the medieval city and 51 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: damaged iconic churches like Saint Paul's Cathedral. One writer, escaping 52 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: in his night shirt in a cart, wrote words that'll 53 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: remind you of scenes from California this week. He said, Lord, 54 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: to see how the streets and the highways were crowded 55 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: with people running and riding and trying to get carts 56 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: at any price to fetch away things. Rebuilding London took 57 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: over thirty years, but the city was rebuilt with beautiful 58 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: stone buildings and wider streets, and the London fire also 59 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: gave birth to two brand new industries, modern property insurance 60 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: and fire brigades. Was there somebody to blame, of course, 61 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: It started the home of a baker, Thomas Ferriner, on 62 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: Putting Lane. It probably was from a spark from his hearth. 63 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: At first authorities tried to accuse the Catholics of arson, 64 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: but finally decided the fire was caused by the hand 65 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: of God, a strong wind and a very dry season, 66 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: and that spark from the hearth. Now we come to 67 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: the US. In New York City, the Great Fire of 68 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty five happened when a warehouse caught on fire. 69 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: As we've seen in California, powerful winds fanned the flames, 70 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: leveling city blocks and setting part of the frozen East 71 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: River on fire as turpentine leaked into the water. But 72 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: that fire led to the building of an aqueduct in 73 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty seven that brought in twelve million gallons of 74 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: water a day, which gave firemen what they needed and 75 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: revolutionized American water systems. The Great Chicago Fire of eighteen 76 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: seventy one was a massive fire burned down seventeen thousand buildings. 77 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: The blaze only lasted three days and didn't spread very fast, 78 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: unlike the current la fires, but it still killed about 79 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,799 Speaker 1: three hundred people. Problem is it happened in late autumn, 80 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: so thousands as were left without shelter once winter arrived. 81 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: Who was to blame for this one? Well, it broke 82 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: out in the evening, probably in the barn of the 83 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: Oleria family when it was reported. Neighbors rushed to try 84 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: to save O'Leary's home, but strong winds caused their houses 85 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: to light up, and then the fire headed toward downtown. 86 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: A lot of folks still blamed O'Leary's cows. Complicating the firefight. 87 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: Because of another fire the day before, the fire brigade 88 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: in Chicago was exhausted, so warning signals and info weren't 89 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: given much attention. Another complication or is the river also 90 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: caught fire from wooden boats, driftwood, and greasy debris. It 91 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: spread further into the city and along the Polk Street Bridge, 92 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: which was destroyed and still hasn't been rebuilt. Finally, as 93 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: far as huge wildfire goes, there was the Great Fire 94 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: of nineteen ten in Idaho and Montana, which burned get this, 95 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: twenty million acres, probably started by embers from locomotives. Hurricane 96 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: force winds turned thousands of smaller fires into a monster. 97 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: Entire towns were wiped out, and fire native or firewhirlds 98 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: led to trees being sucked from the ground, roots and 99 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:08,679 Speaker 1: all and turning into flying blowtorches. Eighty six people died, 100 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: mostly firefighters on the front line. At first, a media 101 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: was blamed, but later on scientists said it was caused 102 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: by an incredibly hot, dry summer and not a meteor. 103 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: So as painful as today's fires are, we see we're 104 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: not alone. We also see that these events can inspire 105 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: innovation and change. Is there something to learn from these catastrophes, 106 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 1: of course, but in every case we have to learn 107 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: the how and the why and then use that knowledge 108 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: to move forward. Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. 109 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: Follow or subscribe for free to get new episodes delivered automatically, 110 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: and feel free to dm me if you have a 111 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 1: story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty 112 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. 113 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: The Backstory is a pretty reduction of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 114 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 115 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 116 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 117 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 118 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 119 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The 120 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.