Memorial. The Great Fire of London began in the early morning hours of September 2, 1666 in the Pudding Lane house of Thomas Farynor, a baker to the king. A maid in the house became the first fatality of the conflagration. The fire spread rapidly through the city of wood and thatch under the impetus of a strong east wind. By eight o'clock that morning, the fire had spread halfway across London Bridge. The fire brigades had no success in containing the fire with buckets of water. The standard fire fighting tactic of destroying the buildings in the path of the flames, creating fire-breaks, were delayed by the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor. By the time a Royal command for the fire breaks was passed it was far too late for them to be effective against the firestorm. The flames pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City, and on Tuesday, spread over most of the City destroying St. Paul's Cathedral and jumping the River Fleet to threaten Whitehall; flames destroyed Gracechurch Street, Lombard Street, and the Royal Exchange, and halted near Temple Church before it suddenly flared to life again, continuing towards Westminster. Eventually the strong east winds died down, turned south and blew the fire onto itself and into the river. Gunpowder was used to create more effective firebreaks which halted further spread eastward. Sources record only minimal loss of life, officially less than twenty, though that has been disputed, but the magnitude of the property loss was staggering. As much as 80% of the city was destroyed, including over 13,000 houses, 89 churches, and 52 Guild Halls. About one-sixth of London's citizens were left homeless. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, known simply as The Monument, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke and was situated close to the site where the fire started, near the northern end of London Bridge. The corner of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane, where the fire ended, is marked by a small gilded statue known as the Golden Boy.