Thomas guiltily reveals that Sarah's husband Will is not dead as she suspected, he is in fact alive having deserted to the colonies, leaving his family alone and penniless. Sarah's shock turns to anger at Thomas, and it's with a shadow hanging over them that they return to Moorfields.

Thomas returns to the city in search of Sarah to see the fire spreading with alarming speed across the capital. In Whitehall the King’s angry to learn his orders to create fire-breaks have been ignored by his advisors.

The fire is gaining strength. Thomas bursts into sister-in-law Sarah Farriner’s lodgings to wake his family and lead them to safety. But Sarah is nowhere to be seen and their shouts for her in the street yield nothing. Thomas leads them through the crowds to the Thames. But they have no luck escaping by river, so instead make their way north towards Moorfields.

Thomas Farriner returns home to Pudding Lane to find the bakery ablaze and his two daughters asleep upstairs, unaware of the raging inferno below.