“The Great Fire of London killed thousands of people”

It is a widely held belief that the Great Fire of London in 1666, despite its immense destruction, claimed very few lives. This common misconception largely stems from the official records compiled after the disaster, which listed only six verified deaths. This remarkably low figure has been perpetuated through history, notably by the inscription on the Monument to the Great Fire of London, leading many to assume the fire was merciful to human life.

However, historical evidence suggests a far more tragic reality. While the official count is accurate for recorded deaths, it fails to account for the many individuals, particularly the poor and homeless, whose deaths would have gone unrecorded in 17th-century London. The intense heat of the fire, which reached temperatures capable of incinerating bodies completely, means many victims would have left no identifiable remains. Forensic technology was non-existent at the time, making it impossible to accurately assess casualties from charred fragments.

The sheer scale of the devastation, with the fire destroying approximately 80% of the city and around 13,200 houses, makes the idea of only a handful of fatalities highly improbable. Furthermore, the indirect deaths from exposure, starvation, and disease in the refugee camps that sprang up after the fire would also not have been included in the official tally. While the fire's relatively slow spread allowed many citizens to escape, the true human cost was undoubtedly in the hundreds, and possibly even thousands, far exceeding the commonly cited figure.