The Great Fire of London

Annie

Reading — Intermediate Level
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Activity

Read the article and select the correct answer to the questions below

The Great Fire of London swept through the central parts of the English city from September 2-5, 1666. It gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. Only six deaths were recorded as a result of the blaze.

The Great Fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner and spread rapidly west across the City of London. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two factors: the wind died down, and the Tower of London garrison created effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.

Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. Immigrant groups became victims of lynchings and street violence. Charles II feared a rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees and strongly encouraged Londoners to resettle elsewhere after the fire.
  1. Where did the fire originate?
  2. In 1666, London was surrounded by  
  3. What helped putting down the fire?
  4. What did King Charles II tell residents to do once the fire was over?
  5. Who was supposed to be responsible for the fire?
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Discussion

Practice your writing skills by discussing the questions below

  1. Have you ever been in or seen a fire? Talk about your experience
  2. What natural or man-made disasters scare you the most? Why?
  3. What are some other big emergencies you know about? What caused them and what was done to stop them?
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