History of firefighting Europe at the time, was the scene of several great fires in the 16th century. As a consequence, King Charles IX disbanded the residents' night watches and left the king's watches as the only one responsible for checking crimes and fires. London suffered great fires in 798, 982, 989, 1212 and above all in 1666 (the Great Fire of London). The Great Fire of 1666 started in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane, consumed about two square miles (5 km²) of the city, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Prior to this fire, London had no organized fire protection system. Afterwards,
Pudding Pudding Pudding is a type of food that can be either a dessert or a savory dish. The word "pudding" is believed to come from the French "boudin", originally from the Latin "botellus", meaning "small sausage", referring to encased meats used in medieval European puddings. The modern usage of the word "pudding" to denote primarily desserts has evolved over time from the almost exclusive use of the term to describe savory dishes, specifically those created using a process similar to sausages where meat and other ingredients in a mostly liquid form are encased and then steamed or boiled to set