The Great Fire of London destroyed 13,200 houses in 1666 but only six deaths were officially recorded.

The fire started on September 2, 1666, at a bakery on Pudding Lane. It burned for four days and destroyed 87 churches and St. Paul's Cathedral. The official records, called the Bills of Mortality, only listed six people who died. One victim was a bakery worker who was too scared to escape the building.The fire was very intense because of a long drought and strong winds. Warehouses full of oil and alcohol fueled the flames. These conditions created a firestorm that reached temperatures over 1,250 degrees Celsius. This is hotter than a modern crematorium, which usually runs between 760 and 1,150 degrees Celsius.At these high temperatures, human bone and tissue can turn into fine dust. In 1666, there were no scientific tools to find or identify these remains in the ruins. Many people also fled to fields outside the city. They likely died there from hunger or injuries, but no one tracked their names.Historians believe the real death toll is much higher than six. Some estimate that hundreds or thousands of people actually died. Because the city did not value the lives of poor people as much as the wealthy, their deaths were left out of the history books.