Great Fire of London

The Great evict of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. 1 The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall. It threatened, only when did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles IIs Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. 2 It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Pauls Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated that it finished the homes of 70,000 of the Citys 80,000 inhabitants. 3 The death toll from the fire is unknown and is traditionally thought to wee been small, as only sextet verified deaths were save. 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 Great Fire start ed at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September, and it ranch rapidly west across the City of London.The use of the major firefighting technique of the time, the creation of firebreaks by bureau 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 firestorm which disappointed 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, Englands enemies in the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch state of war these substantial immigrant groups became victims of lynchings and street violence. On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St. Pauls Cathedral and leaping the Rive r drop dead to threaten Charles IIs court at Whitehall, while coordinated firefighting 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 powder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.