The Great Fire of London
Restoration London was crammed with buildings made of flammable materials ~ timber, thatch and pitch. Streets were narrow and overhung with protruding upper floors. Disaster awaited. The Great Plague of London claimed thousands of lives in 1665-6 and the Great Fire of London on 2-5 September 1666 claimed 13,200 homes, 87 churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, two prisons and other buildings. Homeless Londoners fled to Moorfields, where King Charles II (1630-85) addressed them to try to quell their rage at the supposed foreign and/or Catholic perpetrators.
The fire began in the King’s bakery in Pudding Lane and spread quickly due to a strong east wind and a summer drought. The fire reached warehouses full of oil and tallow, further increasing its ferocity and spread. In desperation, houses were blown up or hooked down to make firebreaks.
South London was only saved because London Bridge was already partially destroyed from a previous fire ~ they were common occurrences. The baker, Thomas Farynor (c.1615-70), and his household escaped over neighbouring roofs but a maid who chose to remain perished.
In all, 373 acres were torched. There were no fire brigades at that time but they were formed soon afterwards. Subsequent town planning regulations stipulated that buildings be built of brick or stone.
(Images: pickpik.com & map by Bunchofgrapes at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)