The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major fire that swept through the central parts of London from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5th September 1666 The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall. It threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster (the modern West End) It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated that it destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll from the fire is unknown and is traditionally thought to have been small, as only a few verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded anywhere, and that the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims, leaving no recognisable remains. The fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner in Pudding Lane shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2nd Sept, and spread rapidly. The use of the major fire fighting technique of the time, the creation of fire breaks by means of demolition, was critically delayed due to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London Sir Thomas Bloodworth. By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a fire storm which defeated such measures. The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. The fears of the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing second Anglo Dutch war these substantial immigrant groups became victims of lynching's and street violence. On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St. Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River fleet to threaten Charles II court at Whitehall, Coordinated fire fighting efforts were simultaneously mobilising. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two factors: the strong east winds died down, and the Tower of London garrison used gun powder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward. The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Evacuation from London and settlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire.
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