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Absolute hell’: firefighters battle blazes across
UK on record hottest day
Fire services came under immense pressure dealing with
multiple blazes that left homes and fields destroyed
Nadeem
Badshah
Tue 19 Jul
2022 23.41 BST
Major
incidents have been declared by fire services across the country as services
endured immense pressure dealing with multiple blazes on the hottest day in the
UK since records began.
In London,
South Yorkshire and Leicestershire major incidents were declared due to the
number of incidents, with people advised against having barbecues in parks and
private gardens and on patios and balconies, due to the fire risk.
Residents
were evacuated from their homes in the village of Wennington, east London,
after flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields as temperatures
soared to more than 40C for the first time. At least one home was destroyed by
the fire, while others appeared to be badly damaged.
A
firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what conditions were
like, replied: “Absolute hell.”
A local
resident, Janet Hickey, who has terminal pancreatic cancer, said she was forced
to leave all her cancer drugs behind during the mass evacuation. The
70-year-old said: “I’ve got all my cancer drugs in the fridge.”
Her
husband, Patrick Hickey, 71, added: “We had to leave everything. We’re hoping
against hope that our house is still there.”
A major
incident was also declared in South Yorkshire after firefighters were called to
deal with a number of blazes spreading to houses. The most serious was in
Barnsley when a row of houses in the Moorland Avenue area was consumed by
flames.
Kevin
Osborne, a Labour councillor in Barnsley, wrote on Twitter that he believed
that six houses had been involved in the incident as he posted footage of one
home being destroyed by flames.
Local
residents launched a crowdfunding page to help those involved, writing on
JustGiving: “They’ve managed to contain the fire but the houses are completely
destroyed. People have been left with nothing.
“Let’s show
them the Barnsley community spirit and raise them a bit of much needed cash,
whether it be short term accommodation or to help them rebuild. Thanks for your
support.”
Videos on
social media showed multiple houses in Dagenham, east London, had been
destroyed following a “significant grassfire” that left a man and woman in
hospital due to smoke inhalation. In nearby Upminster, 30 fire engines dealt
with a grass fire on Pea Lane.
Sadiq Khan,
the mayor of London, said the London fire brigade had received more than 1,600
calls for assistance by late Tuesday afternoon.
Jonathan
Smith, assistant commissioner at LFB, told Sky News many of the fires were
spread over wide areas and began because the ground is “tinderbox dry”.
The
Metropolitan police advised people not to start a barbecue or bonfire, avoid
leaving broken bottles or glass on the ground and dispose of cigarettes safely.
The force
said: “Our London fire brigade counterparts are working incredibly hard
tackling a number of fires across London in the most challenging conditions.
Some of these fires are over widespread areas and will require an ongoing
presence through the night.
“Officers
have been deployed to these major incidents throughout the day to provide
safety and security to impacted areas and to support LFB crews.”
South
Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said: “The emergency services working across South
Yorkshire have now declared a major incident due to the demand on services from
fires across the county. The fires are being prioritised in relation to risk to
life and risk to property.
“All of the
agencies are working closely to bring resources together and minimise risk.
Please avoid calling 999 unless life is at risk. More information to follow.”
On Tuesday
night Leicestershire Fire and Rescue stood down a major incident in the region
when demand for the fire service reached overwhelming levels this afternoon due
to the unprecedented temperatures.
It tweeted:
“We are now standing down from a major incident. We have sufficient level of
resources back in the organisation to respond business as usual. We would like
to thank everyone for their support, it has been much appreciated.”
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