Wildfires spread across large parts of the capital during this week’s heatwave in much the same way as the Great Fire of London, it has been claimed.
One expert suggested the blazes could have developed into something reminiscent of the 1666 event if the winds had been higher.
Wildfires devastated areas including Erith, Uxbridge and Wennington on Tuesday, resulting in 41 properties being damaged.
The fire service reported their busiest day since World War Two.
Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science at Imperial College London, said strong winds contributed to four days of fires across London in 1666.
These were only stopped after soldiers blew up houses to create fire breaks, and the strong easterly wind died down.
He said: ‘While it was blowing, the [Great Fire of London] was completely unstoppable’, the Observer reported.
‘So let’s put it this way. Tuesday could have been even worse if we had more wind. Gusts reached 14mph last week, barely above average.
‘Obviously the London of today is much safer than the London of 1666. But this was an urban fire, where fire spreads from one home to another, aided by vegetation. That’s what happened in 1666. This is what happened on Tuesday.’
To prevent further fires in London afterwards, houses were built with stone rather than wood.
According to Professor Rein, most modern day fires are spread accidentally by sky lanterns, or by barbecues or camp fires that are thought to have been put out but continue to smoulder.
He said anyone with a garden should be aware how a compost fire can spread to a wooden fence, which then might set light to an overhanging tree, and in turn to the roof of a house.
‘Tiles are tremendously fire resistant,’ Rein said. ‘But if they are not well maintained, then embers can fall through a hole, and the structure of a roof is made from timber.’
Kate Cotter, chief executive of the Bushfire Building Council of Australia told the Observer: ‘The classic UK house has a lot of strengths – brickwork and stone are strong and resilient.
‘What’s most important is the detailing, looking where we’ve got chimneys, vents, weep holes, exhaust fans and sealing them up using mesh screens so embers can’t get in.
‘People should definitely look at toughened glass – double glazing isn’t usually fire resilient but toughened glass is.’
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