Why did the Great Fire spread so quickly?

Picture 1

Picture 2

Thatch ( straw)

Wooden houses

Houses very close

together

No fire engines

wind

Streets very narrow

How many reasons did you see?

No proper way of putting out the fire

Strong wind

Only had buckets

Wooden ladders were not much use

Version 1

• The houses and shops burned easily because they were built mainly of wood. To make matters worse, the fire leapt quickly from street to street because the houses were very close together.

Version 2

• The fire spread so quickly because the wind blew sparks from blazing buildings which set fire to straw. The fire raced through the narrow streets and set fire to warehouses where they kept oil, tar and wood.

Version 3

• The fire spread quickly because most of the houses in London were made out of wood. Many had roofs made of thatch, which burns easily. The houses were built close together. The fire also spread easily because the wind blew the flames down the narrow streets.

• On the second instant, at one of the clock in the Morning, there hapned to break out, a sad in deplorable Fire in Pudding Lane, near New Fish-street, which falling out at that hour of the night, and in a quarter of the Town so close built with wooden pitched houses spread itself so far before day, and with such distraction to the inhabitants and Neighbours, that care was not taken for the timely preventing the further diffusion of it, by pulling down houses, as ought to have been

• ; so that this lamentable Fire in a short time became too big to be mastered by any Engines or working near it. It fell out most unhappily too, that a violent Easterly wind fomented it, and kept it burning all that day, and the night following spreading itself up to Grace-church-street and downwards from Cannon-street to the Water-side

Too worried about carrying their possessions

• 'The people in all parts about it, distracted by the vastness of it, ~and their particular care to carry away their Goods, many attempts were made to prevent the spreading of it by pulling down Houses, and making great Intervals, but all in vain, the Fire seizing upon the Timber and Rubbish, and so continuing it set even through those spaces, and raging in a bright flame til Monday and Tuesday