From September 2 to September 5, 1666, one of the largest urban fires in history took place.

The Great Fire of London swept mercilessly through the city, reducing roughly 80% of its buildings to smoldering ruins, possibly killing thousands of people.

In the ashes of the inferno, the city reinvented itself, determined to ensure such widespread destruction would never happen again. It also laid the foundation for the London that exists today.