Today, we examined evidence, primary sources and artefacts to help us understand how the people of London tried to put out the fire in 1666. We learnt that Samuel Pepys wrote a diary and buried it with wine and cheese, which we still use today to understand the events of the fire. We also used pictures and artefacts, such as a leather bucket to understand ways the fire was put out. We did some role play using our buckets and filling it with water from the River Thames and throwing it onto the flames. When that didn’t work, we used a water pump to try and extinguish the flames, but that did not work either. We started to pull down houses with fire hooks to create a fire break, which did help stop the spread of the fire. Ultimately, the fire ended as the wind stopped blowing and the fire was contained. Year 1 really enjoyed stepping into the role of the people in London and understood how tricky it was to put the fire out without fire engines like today.
