WTTW Documentary Offers New Perspectives On The Great Chicago Fire
WDCB’s Gary Zidek talks to WTTW executive producer Dan Protess about the new Chicago Stories documentary THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE.
LISTEN
“There are so many ways in which this story felt so incredibly present in this moment. Obviously we’re facing a disaster right now, with COVID, and continued social unrest and real social and economic inequity in our city.” - THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE producer Dan Protess talking about some of the parallel themes between the aftermath of the fire in 1871 and today.
WTTW Chicago Stories executive producer Dan Protess
The 149th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire is this week. The blaze (which started on October 8, 1871) claimed an estimated 300 lives (though that number is likely larger) and left a third of the city’s population homeless. WTTW is taking a closer look at the city-defining tragedy in a new Chicago Stories documentary titled THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. The new special goes beyond the basic facts of the devastation to provide a more detailed look at the impact the fire had on individuals who called Chicago home.
Vintage color map of the path of the fire. Image courtesy of the Newberry Library
