2010 Police Fire

Over a month after the large riots that swept Britain in August 2011, questions remain as to why the riots started, spread and ended when they did. Police and government officials have blamed general lawlessness, characterizing the rioters as just plain criminals. Others have pointed to Britain’s economic situation, poverty and recent austerity measures taken by the government as causes, with the spark lit by racism and brutality on the part of the police.

Indeed, the trigger for the initial riot appears to have been the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29, a black North Londoner. Other police actions during the riots, including confrontations and unfounded searches, have been blamed for inciting further rioting. Attacks on police officers by rioters, and vice versa, were reported in all the affected areas. The riots lasted four days, covered many cities all around the country and have been labeled the worst unrest this generation has seen.

Despite the role of police in the riots, increased police presence appears to have been a major factor in ultimately stopping the unrest. On Tuesday, August 9, three days into the rioting, 16,000 police descended on London. Thousands more were deployed in Manchester, Birmingham and other hot spots. Curfews were in force. Prime Minister David Cameron warned the public that he had authorized the police to use water cannons to disperse the rioters.

This heavy police presence remained on the streets the following night, Wednesday, August 10. Courts remained open all night to process the high volume of riot-related arrests. That night, streets were calm.

The police had an additional ally: the weather. On August 10, it rained heavily all over the country. The rain drove would-be rioters indoors, literally dousing the fire. In contrast, the previous four days had been sunny and hot.

Throughout history, urban riots have tended to follow a similar pattern. The violence erupts during warm weather, usually very hot weather. Cooling temperatures see a cooling of the violence as well. Even if the weather remains good, the rioting tends to peter out in a matter of days, no matter what actions the government takes. That does not necessarily mean the issues that led to the rioting are resolved or that there will not be future riots.

British police have drawn criticism for taking no action during the first two days of the riots. Eyewitnesses reported that the police stood by and did nothing in many places where the violence was happening. When the police did take action, their actions, in at least some cases, were blamed for spurring further riots.

Cameron’s deployment of over 10,000 additional police officers three days into the riots represented a reversal of tactics. The Conservative government has portrayed the problem as simple criminality among the rioters and their stepped up law enforcement as the solution. It cannot be denied that arrests of the rioters left fewer to riot or that increased police presence, and increased likelihood of the police to take action, served as deterrents to at least some who would have taken part in the violence.

However, so many factors were involved in quelling the riots that we cannot definitively say which of them, if any, were the deciding factor. Did the police stop the largest riots this generation has known? Did the weather? Or did the riots simply die a natural death? These are questions that can be debated for centuries to come.

Fires, on most cases, are considered as highly negative events that plague mankind. These destructive incidents bring about great sorrow mercilessly claiming innocent lives and leaving the rest in desperate, homeless plights.

Many factors contribute in the onset of this calamity and many of them are manmadeNatural fires also take place; these disasters are contributed by the interplay of the elements—the wind and the fire.

On a brighter aspect, fires do inspire humankind to strive harder. Some of the greatest cities at present rose after the ravage of fires. Here are some of the greatest fires in history:

The Great Fire of Rome

In 64 AD a great fire broke and swept through 10 out of 14 states of Rome. Though unfounded, rumors have pointed out Nero as its instigator; accordingly, this was done to give way to the construction of his grand palace—the Domus Aurea.

The Four Great Fires in Constantinople

The Orthodox citadel of the East fell into the hands of the Crusaders after the ravage of the four great fires in its capital, Constantinople. This turn of events, though a great source of shame from the West, ended the schism between the two Christian sects.

Moscow Fire

This catastrophic event led to the uprising of the displaced mob against the newly-crowned Tsar, Ivan the Terrible and his family. The 80,000 homeless people blamed the Tsar’s grandmother for using witchcraft to start the fire and stoned some of his relatives to death.

The Great Fire of London

The 1660s blaze in the British capital started from a bakery. Due to an inordinate urban sprawl of wooden houses, the flames quickly spread out to the rest of the city smoldering down 90% of the homes and left 70,000 destitute. Consequently, England faced a tremendous economic and social breakdown at this time.

Furisode Fire

This calamity in the 1660s annihilated 70% of Japan’s former capital, Edo. The conflagration spread through houses that were built primarily on wood and paper and the fire-brigade at that time is not equipped and skilled to resist it.

Big Blowup in 1910

This is one of the most extensive wildfires in history which coursed through Washington, Idaho and Montana. Due to the extremely dry weather that wilted down vegetation, little hot cinders from locomotives easily escalated into an inferno. Some towns were burned to the ground or were completely deserted because of this.

Halifax Explosion

The collision between the explosives-loaded SS Mont Blanc and SS Imo resulted into over 9000 casualties and the obliteration of the commercial structures in Halifax. So great was the explosion that a tsunami was created afterwards. Hence, this is considered as “world’s largest man-made accidental explosion”.

The Changsa Fire

Also known as the Wenxi Fire, this is dubbed as the largest city-wide blaze in the history of China. The military leader, Chiang Kai Sek passed the idea of intentionally burning down the metropolitan to prevent Japanese invasion. The devastation that incurred this Chinese conurbation was akin to that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Dresden Bombing 

Still remaining as one of the most controversial among the Allied Air Raids, this German city was fiercely attacked during the eventful days of February 1945. Bodies of the dead piled all over as explosion after explosion followed; and planes of the RAAF were relentlessly dropping down bombs. The death toll rose up to more than 22,000.

Atomic Bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

When atomic bombs “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it wiped off structures within 1.6km radius from the Shima Surgical Clinic where it detonated directly. About 80,000 or 60% residents were eradicated immediately, 30% from falling debris while the other 10% from other reasons.

This act of is military act is then by far one of the most debated topics in History and Ethics. Many historians now argue the necessity of such action. Was it really an act of Necessary Evil?