The Great Fire of London was a devastating event that took place in 1666 and lasted for four days. It destroyed thousands of homes, buildings, and churches, leaving an estimated 70,000 people homeless. The fire started on the night of September 2nd, in a bakery on Pudding Lane and spread quickly due to the strong winds and the city’s narrow streets.
The Fire Fighting Efforts
The fire fighting efforts in the early stages of the Great Fire were disorganized and ineffective. The Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, was slow to react and failed to take decisive action to contain the blaze. The firemen at the time were ill-equipped to deal with such a massive fire, using buckets of water and primitive firefighting equipment.
However, as the fire spread rapidly across London, King Charles II ordered his brother James, Duke of York to take charge of the firefighting efforts. He organized a team of soldiers to demolish buildings in the path of the fire to create firebreaks that would help stop its progress.
The End of The Great Fire
After four long days, on September 6th, 1666, the Great Fire finally came to an end. But how did it end?
Many factors contributed to finally putting out the flames. For one thing, there was a change in wind direction that helped break up some areas where fires were still burning. This change allowed firefighters to get closer and extinguish smaller fires more easily.
Another factor was that some buildings had already been demolished by firefighters creating gaps in which there was no fuel for fires. This helped stop some areas from burning further.
Finally, it started raining heavily on September 6th after several weeks without any rain at all. This helped extinguish any remaining hot spots or embers.
The Aftermath
The Great Fire left behind a trail of destruction that was felt for years to come. The city of London was forever changed, with many buildings and landmarks lost forever. It also led to the introduction of new building codes and fire safety regulations.
In conclusion, the Great Fire of London ended due to a combination of factors such as wind, demolition of buildings, and rain. While it caused extensive damage, it also highlighted the importance of having well-trained firefighters and proper fire safety regulations in place to prevent such disasters from occurring in the future.
- Wind change
- Demolition of buildings
- Heavy rain
The Great Fire left behind a trail of destruction that was felt for years to come.
The city of London was forever changed, with many buildings and landmarks lost forever.