According to Tacitus , upon hearing news of the fire , Nero returned to Rome to organize a relief effort , which he paid for from his own funds . Nero 's contributions to the relief extended to personally taking part in the search for and rescue of victims of the blaze , spending days searching the debris without even his bodyguards . After the fire , Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless , and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors .