#OnThisDay in 1666, the Great Fire of London was somehow extinguished after ravaging the city for five days. Over 80,000 Londoners were left homeless when, in the early hours of September 2, a fire that began in a bakery on Pudding Lane swiftly grew to devastate the entire city.
The fire had its seeds in the preceding year. June 1665 turned out to be unbearably hot. It encouraged the spread of diseases given the city's unhygienic conditions. A new wave of bubonic plague broke out. The subsequent dry spell acted as the catalyst for the Great Fire as well.
Based upon fragments of melted pottery excavated in Pudding Lane, temperature went up approximately to 1700 °C. One main reason why Londoners weren't properly aware was due to abundance of candlelights in wooden homes. In a populated city with open fires, that wasn't unusual.
Very near to Pudding Lane was Leadenhall Street, which housed the headquarters of the East India Company. When the fire started spreading, books, papers, goods, and treasure were hurriedly removed for safety. A letter written to Surat by directors attests to the minimal loss.
When news of the fire reached India, the Dutch in Cochin celebrated and burnt an effigy of King Charles II. The Anglo-Dutch Wars were already a threat. Constant skirmish with the Dutch meant treasury was empty. Charles II even thought that his citizens might rise up in rebellion.
London overcame the plague and the fire of 1665-66. The city was rebuilt thanks to the genius of Sir Christopher Wren. He also saved the king. In 1674, Charles II was presented with the Freedom of the City of London – the only reigning monarch ever to have received this honour.
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