On this day in 1666: The Great Fire of London sparked a housing crisis, leaving 100,000 homeless

The Great Fire of London in 1666 left thousands homeless.(Photo: @MrJamesCosgrove) On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London began on Pudding Lane. It destroyed around 13,200 houses and left about 100,000 people homeless.The sudden loss of so many homes created a severe shortage across the city and pushed up rents in areas that escaped the fire. Displaced families moved into temporary settlements, crowded into surviving neighbourhoods or left London.100,000 homeless as makeshift settlements spreadThe fire destroyed four-fifths of the City of London and 436 acres of built-up land. Around 100,000 people were left without homes.Thousands moved into fields outside the devastated City, where they lived in tents, huts and other temporary shelters. According to the London Museum, the City also rented out fields so displaced residents could build temporary homes.Moorfields was among the areas where temporary settlements developed. The settlements persisted for years before authorities ordered temporary structures in such areas to be removed.Surviving homes became suddenly more expensiveThe destruction sharply reduced the supply of available homes. Demand increased in neighbourhoods tha...