The mercury raged across London and Essex on Tuesday afternoon as the mercury topped 40C for the first time. London Fire Brigade crews were battling at least five separate blazes as of 4pm on the UK’s hottest day on record. Fifteen fire crews and 100 firefighters are battling the blaze in the Essex village of Wennington. Footage showed fields and houses shrouded in black smoke, with a number of residential buildings completely destroyed. An elderly woman was seen crying hysterically saying: “Oh my God – the house is gone” as her family tried to comfort her. A rescue center has been set up at the Wennington Premier Inn for residents who have been evacuated. Others will stay in hotels overnight, understandably.
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A witness told Sky News he was driving on New Road when he spotted the smoke. The fire was “huge, so much black smoke in the air,” he said. Sky News He said many horses, animals and local people were driven from their homes. “Many suffering people unfortunately. “There have been a lot of fires around this area, it’s quite shocking. “Of course, as a country, we have to do something about it now, because our children … may not have a planet to live on.” A receptionist at a warehouse in Wennington told the Standard: “We can see it from our backyard where we are. “I don’t know how it started, but at 3 p.m. “But at 3.13 p.m. it had almost tripled in size – it spread very quickly. “ Getty Images A firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what the conditions were like, replied: “absolute hell,” while those affected by the fire said it spread “quickly.” One resident who was evacuated, Lin, told Sky News she had received a number of calls from other residents of the community telling her to “go away”. Her and her husband’s home is safe for now, she said, but her husband is “not very well.” “Even the heat is bad enough…he didn’t have time to bring his inhaler with him, so he’s not very good right now.” He said the fire spread quickly because of the wind. Local resident and journalist Francesca Lilleystone told the television station that “a fire like this will destroy the community”. He said the fire is “heartbreaking” and it’s like “watching a science fiction movie.” Meanwhile, footage shared on social media also showed a large fire breaking out on Dartford Heath. Kent Fire and Rescue Service said a dozen fire engines and a height vehicle had been sent to the scene near Darrell Den, Joyce Green. Sky News Elsewhere in the capital, thirty fire engines are tackling a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster. A member of staff at Sir Henrys in nearby Romford Road told the Standard they saw three fires from the restaurant on Tuesday and some customers have called to say they will be late due to emergency responses. The employee said the British restaurant was “surrounded by fire” and staff could see plumes of smoke from the fires raging in Wennington and Pea Lane in Upminster. But the worker said they had no plans to close tonight and there was “no reason” to worry. They hoped the fire department would keep them informed. Other areas of the capital affected by the fires include: • Pinner, where a dozen fire engines are tackling a blaze involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road • Southgate, where ten fire engines attend a restaurant fire in Green Lanes • Croydon, where eight fire engines are battling a grass fire • Dagenham, where eight fire engines are tackling a grass fire in Ballards Road • Wembley, where eight fire engines attend a fire on Broadway • Hendon, where six fire engines are tackling a grass fire in Sunningfields Crescent • Croydon, where four fire engines are tackling a grass fire in Chapel View • Eltham, four fire engines attending a fire in Sidcup Street London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a “major incident” in the capital amid a “huge burst” of fires, warning that London Fire Service is under “tremendous pressure”. He tweeted: “London Fire Service has just declared a Major Incident in response to the huge increase in fires across the capital today. “This is critical: LondonFire is under enormous pressure. “Please be safe. I am in contact with the Commissioner and will share updates when I have them.” Firefighters attend a blaze on the Dartford Marshes in Kent (Adrian Stirrup/PA) / PA wire Firefighters do not know the full extent of the damage caused by the blazes which have engulfed homes, schools and churches across London. Onathan Smith, assistant commissioner at the LFB, told the PA news agency: “We had a number of incidents today, obviously some of which were the result of dry woodlands and grasslands in central London and the suburbs. “This has caused the fire to spread rapidly affecting properties, people’s homes, schools, churches and other types of buildings. “At this time, due to the sheer number of incidents we have attended today, we will gather all this information and ensure that each incident is thoroughly investigated. “Once we do that, we’ll be able to give an accurate picture of the incidents we’ve attended, how many homes have been affected and whether there have been casualties.” He said Tuesday night would be “crucial” to ensure the fires were brought under control, adding: “It would be premature to say we are out the other end of this.” London Ambulance Service said the total number of people taken to hospital may not be known until Wednesday morning. Outside the capital, West Midlands Fire Service received 717 incident calls on Monday – an increase of 280 in the space of a week. And Hereford & Worcester crews had 54 fires burning in fields, undergrowth and woodland, which he said was a “much higher number” than normal. The National Trust appealed to people to avoid lighting barbecues or bonfires and not to leave glass bottles on the ground. It comes after the 40C mark was breached in the capital shortly after 12.50pm on Tuesday. Fire engulfs motorists on the A2 in Dartford The extreme heat is being fueled by climate change, which is making each heat wave more intense, frequent and likely, scientists warn. The 40.2C recorded at Heathrow beat the previous UK record of 38.7C in Cambridge three years ago by 1.5C, and the Met Office warned temperatures were still rising early on Tuesday afternoon. Charlwood, Wisley and Chertsey in Surrey, and Kew Gardens and Northolt in west London were among the places that broke the 2019 record by early afternoon, with temperatures rising above 39C.
