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A major emergency has been declared in South Yorkshire after a number of large bushfires broke out in unprecedented temperatures and spread to nearby homes.
Firefighters were called to incidents in South Yorkshire – amid unconfirmed reports of temperatures reaching 40C in Doncaster.
South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said their resources had to be prioritized based on risk levels.
In Barnsley, houses on Woodland Avenue were engulfed in flames, with people taking refuge in a nearby school.
Writing on Facebook, Sophie Wilson said: “Six houses on fire at the moment, I pray everyone is ok.”
Properties were also evacuated on Lambrell Avenue and Stockwell Avenue, in Kiveton Park, near Rotherham. The Rother Valley Labor Party Facebook page said: “Unfortunately houses were lost in Kiveton, very sad day.”
A section of Sprotbrough Road, Doncaster, was closed with homes reported to have been evacuated.
Smoke engulfed the road in Sprotbrough.
Monisha Rockett, who was driving through the area, posted a photo on Facebook of a smoke-filled sky and said: “It was just orange darkness then. Ash was falling from the sky.”
Kate-Elicia Mynet, writing on Facebook, said: “Our fence is gone, our neighbour’s shed is up and most of their garden and our greenhouse is melting and there is no electricity.
“Evacuated by the police… and the house is full of smoke and rain of ash in the front and back gardens.”
Fire at the Newton Arms pub in Sprotbrough, Doncaster. Credit: Newton Arms/Facebook
A local pub, the Newton Arms, posted a picture of a fire near its beer hall. The pub said it had closed due to risk.
Local residents later helped put out the flames.
Doncaster Council said a diversion will be in place, but in the meantime motorists are advised to use the A638 York Road and the A635 Barnsley Road, Blacksmiths Lane and Hangmanstone Lane.
Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police said officers were assisting at the scene of a field fire on Haugh Road in the Rawmarsh area of Rotherham. Haugh Road and Cortworth Road are closed at the junctions with Angel Lane and Hoober Lane.
Other fires were reported in Maltby and Dinnington.
Footage posted on social media also showed a field fire in the village of Laughton en le Morthen, near Rotherham.
South Yorkshire Police said: “Emergency services operating in South Yorkshire have now declared a major incident due to the demand for services from fires across the county.
“Fires are prioritized in terms of risk to life and risk to property. All agencies work closely together to pool resources and minimize risk.
“Please avoid calling 999 unless life is at risk.”
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