After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal The Great Fire of London As It Happened
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Jan 12, 2026 In 1666, London faced its darkest hour as the Great Fire engulfed the city. Witnesses’ accounts reveal chaos, scapegoating, and a desperate fight against the flames. The hosts dive into the fire's origin in a bakery, early panics, and the mob violence that erupted amid the disaster. They discuss how the fire changed London's skyline and led to the rebuilding efforts spearheaded by Christopher Wren. This catastrophic event not only reshaped the city but also exposed deep societal tensions during a time of turmoil.
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1666 Disasters Converged To Amplify Damage
- The Great Fire happened amid plague, war and drought which made London fragile and its timber houses extremely flammable.
- That wider 1660s turmoil magnified the fire's destruction and social consequences.
Pudding Lane Escape And First Victim
- Thomas Fariner's household escaped Pudding Lane by climbing out of a window and along guttering to a neighbour's house.
- The unnamed maidservant froze and became the fire's first recorded victim, revealing panic's human cost.
Samuel Pepys: Observer Turned Evacuator
- Samuel Pepys awoke, observed the blaze from his window, then briefly slept again before fully grasping the city's peril and later salvaging valuables.
- His diarist instincts produced one of the era's clearest eyewitness portraits of the fire's spread.