09/02/2026
On September 2, 1666, a fire broke out in a baker’s shop on Pudding Lane in London.
Strong winds drove the flames toward the River Thames and into warehouses packed with flammable goods such as oil and tallow. Although the mayor ordered firefighters to pull down burning buildings with fire hooks, the blaze continued to spread. By the time the Great Fire of London was finally contained, it had destroyed more than 13,000 houses and 87 churches.
Together with the devastating bubonic plague outbreak of 1665, the Great Fire struck London with two major disasters that reduced the city’s population by as much as one-fifth.
These events had significant consequences for England’s colony in Virginia. Many potential emigrants found opportunities rebuilding London, making them less likely to risk crossing the Atlantic to work as indentured laborers.
Because Virginia relied heavily on indentured servants to support its to***co economy, the decline in European emigration pushed English and colonial leaders to look for alternatives, ultimately contributing to the rise of forced labor and the forced migration of African peoples.
