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riots raged across London and Essex on Tuesday afternoon as the mercury soared above 40C for the first time.
Crews from the London Fire Brigade were tackling at least five separate fires by 4pm on what was the hottest day ever recorded in the UK.
Fifteen fire crews and 100 firefighters battled the blaze in the Essex village of Wennington. Footage showed fields and houses engulfed 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 too much, of course.
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A witness told Sky News he was driving along New Road when he spotted the smoke.
The fire was “huge, so much black smoke in the air,” he said.
Sky News
He said a number of horses, animals and local residents were being evacuated from their homes.
“Many distressed people unfortunately.
“There have been a lot of fires in this area, it’s quite shocking.
“Of course we, as a country, have to do something about it now because our children … may not have a planet to live on.”
A receptionist at a storage facility in Wennington told the Standard: “We can see it from our yard where we are.
“I don’t know how it started but at 3pm it was just a tiny cloud of smoke – I took a few pictures of it.
“But by 3.13pm it had almost tripled in size – it spread very quickly. “
Getty Images
A firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what conditions were like, said: “absolute hell”, while those affected by the fire said it had spread “quickly”.
One evacuated resident, Lynn, told Sky News she had received several calls from other residents of the community telling her to “get out”.
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 it’s not very good right now.”
She said the fire spread quickly because of the wind.
Local resident and journalist Francesca Lilleystone told the broadcaster that “a fire like this will destroy the community”.
She said the fire was “heartbreaking” and was like “watching a sci-fi movie”.
Meanwhile, footage shared on social media also showed a large fire breaking out on Dartford Heath. Kent Fire and Rescue Service said twelve fire engines and a high rise vehicle were sent to the scene near Durrell Dane, in 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 on nearby Romford Road told the Standard they had seen three fires from the restaurant on Tuesday and some customers had called to say they would be late due to emergency responses.
The official said the British establishment 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 fires include:
• Pinner where twelve fire engines are battling a blaze involving a garden fence and trees on Uxbridge Road
• Southgate, where ten fire engines attended to a fire at a restaurant on Green Lanes
• Croydon, where eight fire engines are battling a grass fire
• Dagenham, where eight fire engines are tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road
• Wembley, where eight fire engines attended to a fire on Broadway
• Hendon where six fire engines are tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent
• Croydon where four fire engines tackled a grass fire at Chapel View
• Eltham, four fire engines attended a fire on Sidcup Road
London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” in the capital amid a “huge spike” in fires, warning that London’s fire service was under “tremendous pressure”.
He tweeted: “London Fire Brigade has just declared a major incident in response to the huge increase in fires in the capital today.
“This is critical: LondonFire is under enormous pressure.
“Please take care. I am in contact with the Commissioner and will share updates as I receive them.’
Firefighters attend a fire in 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 in London.
Onathan Smith, assistant commissioner at LFB, told the PA news agency: “We have had a number of incidents today, obviously many of which are the result of dry forest and grassland both in central London and in the suburbs.
“This caused the fire to spread rapidly, affecting properties, people’s homes, schools, churches and other types of buildings.
“At the moment, due to the high number of incidents we are attending today, we will be gathering all that information and making sure each incident is thoroughly investigated.
“Once we’ve done that, we’ll be able to give an accurate picture of exactly the incidents we’ve attended, how many homes have been affected and whether there have been casualties.”
He said Tuesday night would be “critical” in bringing the fires under control, adding: “It would be premature to say we are out the other end of this incident.”
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 calls to incidents on Monday – an increase of 280 in a week.
And Hereford and Worcester crews had 54 fires based around fields, scrub and woodland, which they said was a “much higher number” than normal.
The National Trust is appealing for people to avoid lighting barbecues or campfires and not to leave glass bottles on the ground.
It comes after the 40C threshold was crossed in the capital shortly after 12.50pm on Tuesday.
Forest fire engulfs motorists on the A2 in Dartford
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.
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