London Fire Brigade chief reflects on busiest day for department since World War II

As temperatures climbed above 40C for the first time ever on Tuesday (19 July), major fire incidents were declared in London, Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire amid the tinder-dry conditions.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) had its busiest day since the Second World War as record temperatures led to hundreds of fires across the capital, with the service taking 2,670 calls.

“The courage, determination, and bravery of our firefighters, officers and control staff to bring all of the incidents under control is something that I would praise,” Jonathan Smith, assistant commissioner of LFB, said.

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