The fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding Lane. It began just after midnight on Sunday 2nd September and grew very fast. Firefighters of the time usually made firebreaks by destroying buildings around the fire so it could not spread. This did not happen quick enough. Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Bloodworth was not certain what to do. By the time he ordered such measures, it was too late. The Tower of London guard used gunpowder to make good firebreaks that stopped the fire from spreading to the east.