Easy there! Modern historians believe that most likely the fire was born by accident – and not caused by Nero. The only certainty is that there really was a devastating fire, which started between July 18 and 19 of the year 64 AD and destroyed a good part of Rome, causing a great number of deaths, although the total number is not known. One of the reasons for the mystery is that the records about the fire were written several decades later – there are no testimonies left by people who witnessed the fact. The theory that puts the blame on Nero stems from the following idea: he wanted to carry out a major urban reform in the city, tearing down entire neighborhoods to build more modern buildings. Then, to hasten this makeover in the metropolis, Nero would have ordered a general fire! The other theory – that of an accidental fire – is that the flames appeared in one of the wooden cubicles of the immense “camelodromo” that was next to the Circus Maximus, the largest of the Roman hippodromes. Nero may not have done this madness, but he was also accused of killing his mother! In next month’s edition, we tell these and other insanities of the Roman emperors.
2. On the night of July 18 or 19, AD 64, the summer heat in Rome was intense and the flames in one of these cubicles broke out. Because of the hot climate and the huge amount of wood, the fire spread, reaching stores of flammable materials in the area.
3. To make matters worse, a strong wind was blowing in Rome from the southeast, which would have fanned the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly through the city, leaving little time for people to flee through the narrow and tortuous alleys
4. The most populated area of Rome was occupied by precarious buildings of up to five floors, made of wood, bricks and masonry. The fire would have spread first through these buildings and then would have advanced to the richest sectors, destroying the solid constructions where the nobility lived.
5. Hours after the fire started, a gigantic cloud of smoke covered the entire city. People who had their homes razed and witnessed the death of relatives became desperate: instead of fleeing, they preferred to commit suicide, throwing themselves into the flames.
6. In the streets, people tried to fight the fire throwing water with buckets. Some dropped dead from asphyxiation or died from being trampled. Some reports say that attempts to put out the fire were prevented by bandits, interested in looting the abandoned houses.
7. And Nero in this story? According to rumors, the Roman emperor would have climbed to the roof of his palace and started playing his lyre, while enjoying the effects of the fire. Other reports contradict this version, arguing that Nero even participated in brigades to contain the fire – and that the flames even destroyed his palace.
8. To contain the fire, large areas of Rome were demolished to eliminate anything that could feed the fire from the path of the fire. The versions are that the fire lasted between five and seven days. Areas highlighted in red and orange were severely affected by the disaster. Only the region in green escaped damage.