DISASTER - Fire Brokje London Bridge

THE WORLD

DISASTERS

Bridge on fire
            On a blustery day in July 1212, fires broke out on London Bridge - at both ends. Sweeping through the thatched buildings, the flames trapped the crowds crossing the bridge along its narrow street. in the panic, about 3,000 people were burned or crushed to death, or drowned in the Thames River below. The fire spread, and most of the city was destroyed in a disaster far worse than London's 'Great Fire' of 1666 - in which only six lives were lost.

Fighting force
          In cities today, dedicated fire-fighters can control even the most serious blaze. But it was only in the 19th century that the first full-time fire brigades were established. By then, many of the world's cities, including New York, Rome and Moscow, had been largely detroyed by fire at least once.