On the morning of 3 September, King Charles II and his brother James, the Duke of York, stepped in to organise the firefighting. They enlisted the help of members of the Privy Council (a group of advisers for the king) and other noblemen to take charge of groups of firefighters.
Eight firefighting bases called fire posts were set up around the City, each with 30 soldiers and 100 local volunteers. Firefighters who worked hard were given one shilling as a reward. Five pounds worth of bread, cheese and beer was sent to each post so that the firefighters had enough to eat and drink.
The fire posts were located at:
- Temple Bar
- Clifford’s Inn Gardens
- Fetter Lane
- Shoe Lane
- Cow Lane
- Cripplegate
- Coleman Street
- and Aldersgate.
Army officers, gentlemen sent by the government and Justices of the Peace directed the work of the soldiers and civilian volunteers to fight the fire in the areas around each post. That night, soldiers from counties around London arrived to relieve the weary firefighters.