How a small fire in a baker's shop burned most of a city.
Want more detail? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →
Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = C (a bakery) · 2 = E (a flame) · 3 = G (dry) · 4 = A (wooden)
5 = D (the wind) · 6 = B (to spread) · 7 = H (to destroy) · 8 = F (to rebuild)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The story begins in London on 2 September 1666. It was very early in the morning, and most people were sleeping. In a small bakery on a street called Pudding Lane, a fire started. The baker, Thomas Farriner, did not put out his ovens well, and a flame began to grow.
Normally, this was not a big problem. But that summer was very hot and dry. The houses in London were made of wood, and they were close together. A strong wind was blowing. Because of this, the fire was very dangerous. Soon the flames jumped to the next house, and then the next. The fire began to spread.
The leader of the city, the Lord Mayor, came to look. People told him to pull down some houses to stop the fire. But he did not think the fire was serious. He waited, and then he went back to bed. This was a big mistake.
1. Where did the fire start, and why did it become so big?
2. What mistake did the Lord Mayor make?
1. It started in a bakery on Pudding Lane. The summer was hot and dry, the wooden houses were close together, and a strong wind was blowing — so the fire spread fast.
2. He did not think the fire was serious. He waited and went back to bed instead of pulling down houses to stop it.
The fire burned for four days. The wind pushed it through the city, from house to house. London had no real firefighters — only people with buckets of water. They could not stop such a big fire.
Everyone was afraid. People ran away from their homes. They carried their things to the river and put them on boats. One man, Samuel Pepys, wrote about it in his diary. He was so worried that he dug a hole in his garden. In the hole, he hid his wine and his favourite cheese, so the fire could not take them!
At last, the King helped. Workers used gunpowder to blow up rows of houses. This made empty spaces, so the fire had nothing to burn. Then, on the fourth day, the wind became weaker. Slowly, the great fire stopped. But the centre of London was destroyed.
1. Why could the people not stop the fire?
2. What two things finally stopped it?
1. There were no real firefighters — only people with buckets of water — and the fire was too big and fast.
2. Workers blew up houses with gunpowder to make empty spaces, and on the fourth day the wind became weaker, so the fire stopped.
The fire destroyed a lot. About 13,200 houses were gone. Many churches were gone too, and the big cathedral, St Paul's. Thousands of people had no home. But strangely, only a few people died in the records — very few for such a big fire.
After the fire, people were angry and afraid. They wanted to blame someone. Sadly, they blamed a man from another country. He said he started the fire, but it was not true. He could not have done it — but they did not believe him.
Then something good happened. A clever architect, Sir Christopher Wren, helped to rebuild the city. The new London was made of brick and stone, not wood. Wren built a beautiful new St Paul's Cathedral. Near the place where the fire started, the city built a tall stone column. It is called the Monument, and you can still see it in London today.
1. What surprising thing do we know about the number of deaths?
2. How was the new London different, and who helped to rebuild it?
1. The records show only a few deaths — very few for such a huge fire that destroyed so much.
2. The new city was built of brick and stone, not wood. Sir Christopher Wren helped to rebuild it, including the new St Paul's Cathedral.
This story is a chain of events: one thing happens, then the next. We use sequencing words to show the order.
Choose as soon as, when, before, after or until. Say each sentence out loud.
1. the wind blew, the fire spread very quickly to the next house.
2. The Mayor went back to bed he saw the fire was not serious.
3. The fire spread for a long time the Mayor pulled down any houses.
4. The fire burned the wind became weaker on the fourth day.
5. the wind stopped, the fire slowly died down.
1. As soon as (the fire spread very quickly after the wind blew)
2. when (at that time)
3. before (the spreading came earlier than the action)
4. until (up to that moment)
5. After (this came later)
Fill the gaps with a sequencing word so the events link together. Then read it out loud.
the baker left his ovens, a flame began to grow. the wind blew, the fire jumped to the next house. The fire spread anyone could stop it. It burned the King used gunpowder and the wind became weaker. the fire stopped, the city built a new London of brick and stone.
After · As soon as · before · until · After
One possible version. Notice how each word shows the order: one thing happens, then the next.
There is a real podcast about the Great Fire of London. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Great Fire of London in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a fire in a bakery → dry summer, wooden houses, strong wind → the Mayor waits → four days of fire → Pepys hides his cheese → gunpowder and the wind stops → a new city of brick and stone.
Link the events with sequencing words — as soon as one thing happened, the next happened (try "as soon as", "when", "before", "after", "until") — and use some of the key words (bakery, flame, dry, wooden, wind, spread, destroy, rebuild).
Was the Great Fire only bad luck, or did people make mistakes too? After the fire, London was safer and more beautiful. Can something very bad sometimes bring something good?
Tell the story of any disaster you know — a fire, a flood, a storm, an earthquake — in your country or somewhere else. What happened? Link the events in order — as soon as one thing happened, the next followed — using sequencing words (as soon as, when, before, after, until). How did it start, and what did people do afterwards?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: