In 1666, Great Fire of London destroyed more than 13,000 homes, iconic structures, over 350 years later record wildfires burn homes

In 1666, the Great Fire of London began destroyed more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, over the three days. The Great Fire of London began on September 2, 1666, becoming one of the most devastating disasters in the city’s history. The blaze started in a bakery on Pudding Lane and rapidly spread through crowded streets. London was especially vulnerable because many buildings were constructed from timber and stood extremely close together. Dry conditions and strong winds helped the flames move rapidly from one building to another.

The fire continued for several days, ultimately destroying about 13,200 houses and 87 parish churches. Around four-fifths of the City of London was affected by the catastrophe. Among the most famous buildings lost was the medieval St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Royal Exchange and Guildhall were also badly damaged or destroyed, demonstrating the enormous scale of the disaster.

Approximately 100,000 people were left homeless, forcing many families to seek shelter outside the devastated areas. Temporary settlements appeared as London struggled to cope with the sudden housing crisis. Without modern fire engines and organized firefighting services, authorities relied on basic equipment, human effort, demolitions and firebreaks to contain the flames.


The disaster eventually transformed London’s future. New rebuilding rules encouraged safer construction using brick and stone, while streets and buildings were gradually redesigned. Today, the Great Fire of London remains a powerful symbol of destruction and renewal. From its ashes emerged a transformed city, including the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral designed by Christopher Wren.

Record Heat in Britain

Britain's sweltering summer of successive heat waves was the hottest on record, the national weather service said Tuesday. The season, marked by extreme heat, little rainfall, destructive wildfires and water restrictions, snapped the record set only a year earlier, the Met Office said, citing provisional data recorded since 1884.

The mean average temperature of 16.5 Celsius (61.7 Fahrenheit) surpassed the 16.1 C (61 F) from 2025. Last year's record beat the 15.7 C (60.2 F) mark set in 2018. The top five hottest summers have all occurred since 2003.

The Met calculated that human-caused climate change had made such a hot summer 130 times more likely. Without human greenhouse gas emissions, a summer that hot would occur once in a millennium, but is now expected once every nine years.

Wildfires in U.K

Wildfires in England ​and Wales have hit a record level, fire chiefs said, warning that rescue services were battling to keep up with rising risks a day after fires raced from tinder-dry fields to engulf houses on the hottest day of the year. Britain has not faced anything like the devastation wrought across Spain, France ‌and elsewhere in Europe ⁠this year, ⁠but as the country endures the fifth heatwave of what is expected to be its hottest summer ever, it is dealing with more outbreaks of fire than ever before.

Phil Garrigan, ​chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said the number of wildfires had now exceeded last year's total of 1,017.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the public to take ⁠extra care during a ‌visit to the town of Stourbridge in central England, one of several locations where on Thursday homes ​were destroyed and hundreds of ​people were evacuated.

Britain has recorded ‌five heatwaves this year that have left around 45 million people living in drought-hit areas and 27 million people facing restrictions on water use, according to government figures.