Home | Letters | REPRIMANDING ARSON ATTACKS

REPRIMANDING ARSON ATTACKS

21/04/2022 08:24:00 Editor

Font size:

Sir,

In 1666, a devastating fire swept through London, destroying 13 200 houses, 87 parish churches, the Royal Exchange, Guildhall and St Paul’s Cathedral. So how did it happen?
Back in the 1660s, people were not as aware of the dangers of fire as they are today. Buildings were made of timber – covered in a flammable substance called pitch, roofed with thatch – and tightly packed together with little regard for planning. About 350 000 people lived in London just before the Great Fire, it was one of the largest cities in Europe. Homes arched out over the street and the city was buzzing with people. Lots of animals lived in London too – there were no cars, buses back then – so as well as houses, the city was full of sheds and yards packed high with flammable hay and straw. Following a long dry summer, the city was suffering a drought. Water was scarce and the wooden houses had dried out, making them easier to burn... it was a recipe for disaster.

Consequences

London had to be almost totally reconstructed. Temporary buildings were erected that were ill-equipped, disease spread easily, and many people died from this and the harsh winter that followed the fire. As well as loss of life, the financial costs were staggering. 13 200 houses, 87 parish churches, the Royal Exchange, Guildhall and St Paul’s Cathedral – built during the Middle Ages – were totally destroyed. The costs were estimated at £10 million.

Unacceptable

We shouldn’t be lashing out at buildings that can provide solace and social services to some of our fellow citizens. But we should be, every day, committing ourselves, each and every one of us, to the hard work that we need to do to actually rebuild a path forward that reflects the terrible intergenerational trauma and present day realities of suffering that we are all collectively responsible for. The heinous despicable acts of arson attacks have serious consequences on a business’s ability to continue to operate at all or operate efficiently. Running any business is difficult and fire results in companies losing customers as they go elsewhere and never come back, as well as creating a reputation for not being able to deliver against legally binding contracts. Inaccessible premises don’t just affect public-facing businesses that rely on passing trade, but also for any business where the premises are necessary for business activities.

Even if your business property isn’t completely destroyed, you may not be able to allow staff or customers back into your property until investigations have been complete. Employers may not have the information they need to continue to run their business if it has been destroyed, hence lacking the equipment they need to continue to operate. Companies may not be able to dispatch the stock that they need, and any downtime has a huge impact on revenues as well as time spent re-organising how to operate the organisation after the disaster.