The Great Fire of London is one of the most famous fires in history. It took place in 1666 and caused extensive destruction in the city of London. The fire lasted for three days, destroying more than 13,000 buildings and leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. It was a devastating event, yet it had a significant impact on the city and its people. We’ll explore the Top 10 Facts about the Great Fire of London. We’ll look at the extent of the destruction it caused, the causes of the fire, and how it was eventually put out. We’ll also learn about the legacy of the fire and how it helped shape London into the bustling city it is today.
1. The fire started on Pudding Lane.
The fire started in London, on Pudding Lane, in a bakers.
The baker, Thomas Farriner, believed he put the fire out but in the middle of the night the fire grew and his house was in flames.
Pudding Lane is still there today. If you want to visit it, Monument is the nearest tube station!
The place where the fire started is also marked by a monument.
2. Sunday 2nd September 1666 was the day it started.
The fire started on Sunday, 2 September 1666.
It lasted for 4 whole days.
3. The bakers oven could have caused the fire.
We think the fire was started by a spark from the oven that could have come into contact with some fuel.
4. The Navy put the fire out by blowing up buildings!
Back in 1666, they didn’t have proper firefighters like we have today which meant they didn’t have many tools to stop fires.
The Navy used gunpowder to blow up houses that were in the fires path.
They hoped that if they did this, it would stop the fire travelling.
It ended up working but took many days.
The ground was hot for days after. It was too hot to even walk on!
5. Six people sadly lost their lives.
70,000 people had their homes destroyed.
However, only 6 people lost their lives.
6. 13,200 houses were burnt down.
The fire totally ruined London.
A total of 13,200 house and 87 churches were destroyed.
Plus, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Royal Exchange and Guildhall had also burnt down.
7. The fire travelled 1 and a half miles.
The wind caused the fire to spread fast.
It ended up travelling 1 and a half miles in length.
8. It got VERY hot!
There was a piece of pottery that was found by archaelogists.
It had melted which told them that the fire had to have got up to 1,700 °C.
That’s really hot!
9. Businessmen saw this as an opportunity to make money.
Businessmen started insurance companies.
They had to be careful because if another fire started they could lose a lot of money.
To get around this, they ended up hiring their own fire brigade just incase a fire did start!
This is when the first brigade started.
10. New building regulations became law.
Building regulations had to be brought in to stop this happening again.
Instead of wood, brick had to be used on all houses.
Many streets were widened across London.
Did you know they made a Great Fire of London £2 coin? Click here to read all about it
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