<P> The Great Fire of Rome was an urban fire in the year AD 64 . It caused widespread devastation, before being brought under control after six days . Differing accounts either blame Emperor Nero for initiating the fire or credit him with organizing measures to contain it and provide relief for refugees . According to Tacitus and later Christians, Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first persecution against the Christians . </P> <P> The varying historical accounts of the event come from three secondary sources--Cassius Dio, Suetonius and Tacitus . The primary accounts, which possibly included histories written by Fabius Rusticus, Marcus Cluvius Rufus and Pliny the Elder, did not survive . At least five separate stories circulated regarding Nero and the fire: </P>

When did the great fire of rome happen