It is estimated to have destroyed about 10 percent of the city of Kraków, which was then part of the Austrian Empire's district of the Grand Duchy.

[1] In 1850 the city of Kraków was still heavily reliant on wood as construction material.

[2] The fire started on 18 July on city outskirts around the Krupnicza Street, in the grain mill area.

The fire grew due to strong winds which spread it to nearby buildings, affecting the city center.

[3] The fire caused the destruction of approximately one tenth of the city: 153 buildings, two palaces, two or three monasteries, and four churches.