The Great Roman Fire started on the night of June 18, 64 A.D. It most likely started either in an apartment building or a shop. Poor Romans lived in multi-story apartment buildings called insulae. People cooked in their apartments. Some of the shops sold fast food or sold flammable products. A fire was inevitable. The fire raged for six days before it went out. It then reignited and went on for three more days. Most citizens in the area fled to open fields or out of the city, but hundreds died. Ten of Rome’s fourteen districts were either destroyed or badly damaged. You’ve probably heard that Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned. He wanted the fire to clear an area where he would build a new palace. This is a legend. According to the great historian Tacitus, Nero was in Antium, which is 35 miles away. And the fiddle had not been invented yet. He would have used a lyre. He did build a new palace, but he could have done that without the fire. And the legend overshadows the fact that the notorious emperor actually helped the fire victims. He let them take shelter in his palace. He organized the relief efforts and provided food supplied for the homeless.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/neros-rome-burns
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