Which British diarist chronicled the Great Fire of London in 1666?

Which British diarist chronicled the Great Fire of London in 1666? The answer is Samuel Pepys.

Pepys recorded the fire in his private diary, which he kept from 1660 to 1669. His entries provide an unusually vivid eyewitness account of the disaster, from the first reports of flames near Billingsgate to the destruction spreading through London’s closely packed streets.

On 2 September 1666, Pepys was awakened after his servant Jane saw the fire. He travelled to the Tower of London and then took a boat to observe the blaze from the Thames. He later informed King Charles II about the fire and supported the use of demolition to create breaks that could stop its spread. The fire eventually burned from 2 to 6 September.

John Evelyn also described the Great Fire in his diary, so he is the main potential source of confusion. However, the standard quiz answer is Pepys because his account is especially famous and personal. Pepys was more than a diarist: he was a naval administrator, Member of Parliament, and an important figure in the development of the Royal Navy.