A major incident has been declared in London after a “huge surge” in fires across the capital on the UK’s hottest-ever day.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said the London Fire Brigade (LFB) was “under immense pressure” as he urged people to be safe, adding the situation is “critical”.
Dozens of fire engines and hundreds of firefighters have been involved in tackling at least 10 separate blazes.
UK one of the hottest places on Earth – see live weather updates
In a village on the outskirts of east London, several houses were destroyed and others were severely damaged after grass fires broke out, engulfing properties.
LFB sent 15 fire engines and about 100 firefighters to Wennington to deal with blazes that covered a number of buildings and grassland.
Aerial footage showed smoke covering the village and approaching a historic church.
Sky correspondent Laura Bundock, reporting from the scene, said: “The smoke in the air is really, really thick. It was like night fell as we drove towards the village, as we came closer to the fire.
“The ground here is tinder dry, it is brittle. Walk underfoot and it crunches underneath. So any fire, any wind is going to make this spread even further.”
Nearby fields were completely scorched and burning intensely. It is not known if anybody was hurt in the incident and the cause is unclear.
Elsewhere in the UK, the Leicestershire fire and rescue service has also declared a major incident “due to high demand”, saying: “We will not be attending automatic fire alarms. Please only call us if it’s an emergency.”
100 firefighters battle blaze
LFB tweeted: “We’ve got 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters dealing with this blaze on The Green in Wennington.”
The homes were burning close to a fire station in the village, understood to be home to around 300 people.
Pierre L’Aimable, who witnessed the fire, said it was “immense… there was so much black smoke in the air”.
He told Sky News: “There are horse stables nearby and we saw those horses being evacuated, and people being evacuated. There are loads of animals being saved.”
‘A lot of people distressed’
Mr L’Aimable said a lot of people were evacuated from homes.
“You could see a lot of them were near the fire because there was black on their chests so they were very close to it. A lot of them were distressed unfortunately.”
Lynn Sabberton, a resident, who said she was evacuated from her home with her partner who has a lung difficulty, told Sky News: “We thought it was one of the fields that caught alight over the back of us.
“But then a neighbour rang me and said, ‘oh no, it’s on the green, the green has caught fire’.”
The fire ‘spread so quickly’
Ms Sabberton continued: “I saw the black smoke and the helicopters came over and more police came into our neighbourhood and it was really spreading very fast.
“It just spread so quickly, I think the wind caused the fire to go our way towards the village.”
She said she believed her home was “safe at the moment” but her husband’s condition was “not very good” as he did not have time to bring his inhaler with him.
It has been the hottest day on record in the UK, with provisional Met Office figures showing the temperature hit 40.3C in the village of Coningsby in Lincolnshire, beating the previous record of 38.7C (101.66F) registered in Cambridge three years ago.
Scotland also provisionally recorded its highest ever temperature on Tuesday.
It hit 34.8C (94.6F) in Charterhall in the Scottish Borders, beating the previous record of 32.9C (91.2F) recorded in Greycrook in August 2003.
As well as the major fire in Wennington, there are also a number of other blazes today elsewhere in London:
• Thirty fire engines were dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster
• Twelve fire engines were tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner
• Ten fire engines were attending a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate
• Eight fire engines were tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon
• Eight fire engines were dealing with a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham
• Eight fire engines were attending a fire on The Broadway in Wembley
• Six fire engines were tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon
• Four fire engines were dealing with a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon
• Four fire engines were attending a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.
Mr Khan tweeted: “London Fire Brigade has just declared a major incident in response to a huge surge in fires across the capital today. This is critical: London Fire Brigade is under immense pressure.
“Please be safe. I’m in touch with the Commissioner and will share updates when I have them.”
‘Don’t take risks’
He also urged people: “Don’t barbecue on grass or balconies, don’t leave broken bottles or glass on the grass (it can start fires), dispose of cigarettes safely, and report a fire as soon as you see one.
“Don’t take risks. Stay safe in the heat.”
The London Ambulance Service said its crews were “responding to a number of fire incidents across London including at Rainham and Wembley”.
“We have a number of resources on scene including ambulance crews and our Hazardous Response teams. We are treating patients on scene.”
