The Great London Fire of 1666

From September 2 to 09/05/1666, one of the largest urban fires in history took place. The Great Fire of London swept mercilessly through the city, reducing roughly 80% of its buildings to smoldering ruins and possibly killing thousands of people. In the ashes of the inferno, the city reinvented itself, determined to ensure that such widespread destruction would never happen again. And in the process, it also laid the foundation for the London that exists today. Learn more about the great fire of London on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Carvana is so easy. Just a click, and we've got ourselves a car. See? So many cars. That's a clicktastic inventory. And check out the financing options. Payments to fit our budget. I mean, that's Clickonomics one zero one. Delivery to our door. Just a hop, skip, and a click away. And bought. No better feeling than when everything just clicks. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. Hi. I'm Karina Bemisderfer, host of Morning Cup of Murder, your daily true crime podcast. Yes. You heard me right. Daily true crime. Every day, Morning Cup of Murder tells you a straightforward, short form story about murder, true crime, cold cases, disappearances, serial killers, cults, and more. And I do that all in under fifteen minutes. With over three years of stories and over 20,000,000 downloads, the Morning Cup of Murder podcast has become a staple of so many people's daily routines. So why not add it to yours? Stream Morning Cup of Murder everywhere you listen to podcasts, and remember, stay safe. In the sixteen sixties, London was one of the world's largest cities with an estimated 350,000 people living in close proximity to one another. This closeness was in large part due to the city's massive walls. Residents living within the city walls and along the River Thames were part of the city proper. This region covered about 700 acres, and this close proximity also led to a low quality of life. Heavy traffic choked the streets, filth and unsanitary conditions were everywhere, and disease thrived in this environment. In addition to epidemics, another great risk for the city was fire. There had been a few large fires in the decades leading up to the Great Fire. This was largely due to the close proximity of the buildings and the materials used for construction. Most of the homes in London at this time were built with oak timber and were clustered tightly together. This was a deadly combination of combustibility and conditions which allowed the fire to spread rapidly. These fire risks were made even worse by the weather. The 1666 had been incredibly hot, windy, and unusually dry. This meant that the wooden homes and buildings were essentially bone dry and perfect for burning. The lack of water also contributed in other ways as many of the city's water sources had dried up. This, together with the absence of any organized firefighting force, made …