Who was blamed for the great fire of Rome in AD64?

Blame for the Great Fire of Rome has been attached to two sides. The Emperor Nero was blamed for his lack of action, and there were even suggestions that he may have started it himself in order to bypass the senate and rebuild Rome to his liking. Evidence to support this theory includes the fact that the Domus Aurea, Nero's majestic series of villas and pavilions set upon a landscaped park and a man-made lake, was built in the wake of the fire. To direct attention away from himself, Nero used the Christians as scapegoats. Thus began the earliest persecutions of Christians in Rome, action which included feeding them to the lions.