What equipment was used in the great fire of London?

Back in the 16^th century, people were not as aware about the risk of fire as they are today.  After a long, hot summer back in 1666, one third of London was destroyed and thousands of people were made homeless when a fire started in a bakery on Pudding Lane.  There are a number of reasons why the fire spread so far and so quickly.  Firstly, as Pudding Lane was full of warehouses containing flammable items, like timber, oil, and rope, the fire quickly took hold and rapidly became uncontrollable.  A very strong wind also helped blow the fire from home to home in narrow, wooden built streets and the fact that firefighting equipment was inadequate and the techniques used were time consuming was a major problem during the great fire.

As the fire spread with such ferocity, most people concentrated on escaping rather than fighting the fire.  There was no fire brigade in London in 1666, so fighting the fire was left to soldiers and local people, who only had basic equipment at their disposal.  Equipment was kept at parish churches for local people to use in emergencies, and would have consisted of:

Fire squirts were used as a pump to suck up water and then squirt it at the fire. (picture below)  It would have taken two people to use them, as they were very large and heavy.

Fire Hooks would have been used to pull down damaged houses or to remove houses to try and stop the fire spreading.  The fire hook would have been a large rod with a hooked end to grab on to buildings.

Fire buckets were made from leather and would have been filled with water from the river Thames and thrown onto the fire by the general public.

Fire Helmets helped protect the wearer’s neck, as it had a large flap at the back.  It would have been made from leather with a padded inside.

Wooden pipe was laid under the streets of London at the time of the Great Fire, which water would have passed through.  The water was from either from the local water tower or out of the River Thames. As the fire was so ferocious, some of the wooden pipe would also have caught fire.

Fire Mark.  A fire mark issued by insurance companies and fixed to properties to prove they had insurance.

Gunpowder/Axes.  On the third day of the fire, people of London used gunpowder to blow up houses to stop the fire spreading to other houses.