Many eyewitness accounts of the fire have survived in the form of diaries, letters, books and statements.
John ‘Jo’ Morgan was staying with friends in Five Foot Lane (near what is now Upper Thames Street) in London on 3 September 1666. His friends requested that he go with them to see how close the fire was, and they climbed to the attic.
The fire was still quite far away, in Thames Street, but as they stood and watched, a fireball flew past Jo’s ear and fell into the corner of the room, making a hole in the floor. Jo and his companions rushed down the stairs and jumped out of the window as the house caught fire.