The Great Fire of London
People back in the 1660s were not as aware of the fire risks as they are today. Buildings were constructed of wood-coated in a flammable material called pitch, roofed with thatch-and crammed closely together with little planning thought. Around 350,000 people lived in London just before the Great Fire and it was one of Europe's largest cities. Let's read about the massive fire disaster. The Start of the Fire The London Great Fire began in a baker’s shop on Pudding Lane belonging to Thomas Farynor (Farriner) on Sunday 2 September 1666. Three hours later at 1 am, though he appeared to have extinguished the flames, his house was a burning inferno. At first, few were worried-at the time, fires were too common. The flames, however, passed rapidly down Pudding Lane and proceeded down Fish Hill towards the Thames River. It spread rapidly, aided by an easterly strong wind. It hit warehouses filled with combustible goods such as oil and tallow when it reached the Thames. Luckily,