Fire services declare major incidents as record heat fuels blazes across UK

Emergency services in London, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire declared major incidents due to a surge in fires on the hottest day ever recorded in Britain.

Firefighters tackled at least 22 wildfires and hundreds of smaller fires across England and Wales as temperatures above 40C were recorded for the first time in the UK.

Residents were evacuated from their homes in the village of Wennington, east London, on Tuesday afternoon, as black smoke billowed into the air from a fire which destroyed houses and ravaged nearby fields.

Two people were taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation following a large grass fire in Dagenham, which also led to nearby residents being evacuated.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) declared a major incident around 3pm as several other major fires raged across the capital, including one barely one mile away in Upminster which drew 30 fire engines and almost 200 fire fighters.

Jonathan Smith, assistant commissioner of LFB, said many of the fires spread quickly over wide areas because the ground was “tinderbox dry” due to a period of extreme heat.

“We probably haven’t seen weather-related incidents on this scale before,” he said.

The fire service received more than 1,600 calls on Tueday, said London mayor Sadiq Khan, who reminded residents of the capital to take care to avoid risking fires.

The number of serious incidents prompted LFB to ask people to only call 999 if there was an emergency or an immediate risk to life.

A firefighter sent to deal with the Wennington blaze, described conditions as “absolute hell”, while a resident said “the fire was just immense”.

Fire chiefs called for a temporary ban of disposable barbecues in all public parks and open spaces and advised the public there was a fire risk when discarding cigarettes and glass on grass.

LFB said it had dealt with more than 1,000 grass fires since June.

All train services from London Euston were cancelled due to several incidents on the rail network including a fire beside the tracks in Harrow.

Network Rail tweeted: “Absolutely DO NOT travel north out of London,” as services from King’s Cross were also cancelled due to the record-breaking heat.

Transport for London continued to urge people not to use buses and trains due to the extreme heat.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident around 4pm and urged people only to call in an emergency, saying crews would not attend automatic fire alarms.

A major grass fire at Bradgate Park, northwest of Leicester, drew five pumps and a water carrier, while the fire services advised resident in Walton on the Wolds to close their windows due to a large barn fire.

Local residents were evacuated due a large forest fire in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, which fire fighters feared would destroy buildings in the village due to the wind direction.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) declared the fire a major incident around 3pm and sent 15 crews to the scene including some from the Derbyshire service.

After four hours residents were allowed to return home as the wind changed and blew the fire towards main roads.

The NFRS said fire stops were put in place in case the wind changed again.

Fire crews were stretched across England and Wales throughout the day.

Several houses set alight in a major fire by the A2 in Dartford. Kent Fire and Rescue Service advised drivers on the major road to Dover to take care as smoke was drifting across from the woodland blaze.

A gorse fire which started early in the monring near Zennor in Cornwall spread along a 400 metre front by 2pm,. cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said.

In the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes, a fire detroyed three houses and one single story building which was reported by local news to be a nursery.

The fire could be seen from miles away and Cornwall residents report smelling fumes from afar.

The number of wildfires recorded in England and Wales so far this year has already surpassed the total for all of 2021, prompting warnings that Britain will have to get more used to the incidents as climate change worsens.

There were 243 wildfires from January to April, compared to 237 for the whole of last year, according to figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council, shared exclusively with The Independent on Monday.