September 2, 1666: The Great Fire of London begins shortly after midnight. The fire burned for three days and decimated Old London inside the Roman Walls. By 1660, London was the largest city in Britain with ≈ 500,000 residents – more than the next 50 largest towns combined. Most of the houses were haphazardly placed and built of wood. The urban sprawl led to slums forming outside the old walled portion, The City. The City was bordered on the River Thames and covered 700 acres and 80,000 people lived there – about one-sixth of Londoners.
The City was the commercial heart of Greater London. It held the busiest port and was occupied by the working classes. The aristocrats lived in the countryside or further west, in the Westminster district, modern day West End. King Charles II's court was at Whitehall. The City itself was dirty, crowded, and rife with disease. The Plague Year of 1665 saw the bubonic plague spread through the mean streets. There was further tension between holdovers from the Civil War (1642-51) and the King.
The winding streets were narrow and although wood and thatch were prohibited, the materials were cheap and still in use. Several fires had already spread through London, the latest in 1632. The industry in the area also increased risk. Foundries, smithies, and glazeries flourished even though they, too, were banned because of potential fire hazard. The only connection between The City and the south side of the Thames was the London Bridge – and that was also built up with combustible materials.
The fire broke out on Sunday morning in Pudding Lane at the bakery owned by Thomas Farmer. Neighbours tried to put out the flames as the family climbed across roofs to safety. It was originally seen as no threat. By 7 AM, an easterly gale had turned the small local fire into a conflagration. By Wednesday, the winds fell and firebreaks contained the remaining small local fires. Deaths due directly to the fire were minimal, listed as eight. Many others died as secondary victims as they huddled in makeshift camps. Over 13,500 houses were burned along with 73 churches and St. Paul's Cathedral. Many businesses were also lost to the blaze. The price of the fire eventually came to around £10 million, or more than £1 billion today.
Source: www.examiner.com
