The original London Bridge was built in about 1170. As (1 )................... as providing a way across the River Thames, (2)...................... was home to hundreds of families (3)................... lived in wooden houses on the bridge. there were also shops there, and even a church.

One windy day in July 1212, fires started at both (4)................... of the bridge. The fires grew quickly and soon they had destroyed all the houses on the (5)......................., crowded street. About 3,000 people were killed on the bridge, or drowned in the river (6)......................... People tried to (7)....................... out the fires but they only had (8)........................... to carry the water in, and in the end most of London was (9).......................down.

Today, firefighters can (10)................................ most fires. But in the past, many cities, including Moscow and Rome, have been partly destroyed by fire at least once.