The hottest day in history in Britain has seen major wildfires spring up across the land, with homes, buildings, fields and wildlife engulfed in infernos accelerated by the intense heat.
As the country struggles with its highest temperatures ever recorded, multiple homes have been destroyed by flames after a huge blaze spread to an east London village.
London Fire Brigade earlier declared a major incident with blazes in at least 10 locations; a fire on a farm in Nottingham has also been declared a major incident and there have been blazes in Leeds, Norfolk and other parts of the country.
Shocking aerial footage shows grass and houses up in flames in Wennington, near Rainham, Greater London, with roaring orange flames tearing through buildings.
A firefighter at the scene, asked what conditions were like, replied: “absolute hell”, while those affected by the blaze said it had been spreading “fast”.
The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday night they expect some of the fires to have an "ongoing presence through the night".
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Two people were also taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation following a fire in Dagenham, with the full number of casualties unknown.
Sadiq Khan said LFB had received more than 1,600 calls for assistance by late Tuesday afternoon.
The London Ambulance Service said the total number of people taken to hospital may not be known until Wednesday morning.
Jonathan Smith, assistant commissioner at LFB, told Sky News many of the fires are spread over wide areas and began because the ground is “tinderbox dry”.
In Wennington, local residents could be seen being comforted, while others were seen removing gas canisters from a nearby pub, as hundreds of firefighters were at the scene.
At least one home could be seen completely destroyed by the fire, while others appeared to be badly damaged
One witness, Pierre L'Aimable, told Sky News: "We were driving down the road and we just saw so much smoke, you can see it from Hornchurch, we were coming to visit one of my business partners and the was immense.
"There was so much black smoke in the air, fire engines going past, undercover police driving past, and there are so many people here. There are horse stables nearby, and we saw the horses being evacuated, people being evacuated, and there are loads of animals being saved."
At least one home appeared to be destroyed in the fire, while smoke covered a wide area.
Nearby resident, Lynn Sabberton, 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’.
“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.”
Freya Gutteridge, 23, from nearby Hornchurch, who works in marketing, told the PA news agency: “I noticed the fire in Wennington when I went to lunch at two and since then our whole office has just been watching – everywhere we look there’s a new one.
“We’re all really worried, the wind is strong and we’re seeing on the news that loads of houses are on fire and there isn’t enough fire engines.
“It’s crazy. Most of us in the office live really locally so we’re all worried about families’ houses at the moment.
“We know that if we were in any danger that we would be evacuated but there are petrol stations around and things like that so we’re more scared for everyone in the area.”
One resident, who has terminal pancreatic cancer, said she was forced to leave all her cancer drugs behind as they were evacuated.
Janet Hickey, 70, 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."
Mrs Hickey said they are feeling "devastated", adding: "We've been living there 50 years. I'm terminally ill so it's not great to lose all that. I'm also an artist and all my paintings are there."
Riminta Maceikaite, 38, and her son Nikas Janulevicius, 13, said their neighbours' homes have burned down but as far as they can see from TV aerial shots, their house is still standing.
Ms Maceikaite said they were "very anxious" about their home, adding: "When you look on a camera when it shows you from the sky it just freaks you out."
Nikas said: "Our house is on the news and it's the only house that hasn't been burned so far."
Lizzie Pittman, from Aveley in Essex, who works at some stables by the roundabout, said she was looking after five horses that were evacuated.
She said: "This is your worst nightmare. You can see it getting closer and closer. People are losing their houses but that's bricks and mortar. People are losing their livestock."
Others have been evacuated from their homes as blazes rage in Dagenham, east London on Tuesday afternoon.
London Fire Brigade has now declared a major incident, with the fire witnessed by motorists travelling near the M25 from Dartford, Kent.
Mr Smith, the assistant commissioner at LFB, told the PA news agency: "We've had a range of incidents today, obviously a number of which have been the result of the tinderbox dry woodland and grassland both in central London and in the suburbs.
"This has caused rapid fire spread which has impacted on properties, people's homes, schools, churches and other types of buildings.
"At the moment, because of the sheer number of incidents we've been attending today, we will be pulling all of that information together and making sure every 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 if there have been any casualties."
He said that Tuesday evening would be "critical" in ensuring the fires are kept under control, adding: "It would be premature to say we are out the other end of this incident".
Kent Fire and Rescue Service said 18 fire engines were now at the scene in Dartford.
A spokesman said: "Firefighters are using a fogging unit, two all-terrain vehicles and a bulk water carrier to bring the fire under control and extinguish the flames.
"The technical rescue unit is also in attendance and crews are using a telehandler machine to create a fire break, to stop the fire from spreading further. No injuries have been reported."
Nearby fields have also been completely scorched with around 100 firefighters tackling the ferocious blaze.
Further dramatic footage shows the Dartford Marshes fire raging on - just metres from blocks of flats and buildings.
Drone video from the scene also showed how just a few tree trunks survived the raging flames.
A lone person with a hose can be seen tackling the fringes of the fire on one side, while a line of emergency vehicles is lined up on the other side of the fire are
Train services in nearby Essex have also been partially suspended after the fire broke out near C2C train tracks.
The fire has caused further delays, with Essex Fire Service revealing that it dealt with 130 incidents between 8am and 11pm yesterday.
The London Fire Brigade was also fighting two separate fires in the Shirley Hills near Croydon on Tuesday afternoon with huge plumes of smoke rising up into the sky over the wooded area.
They were first alerted to the woodland fire at 12.07pm, while another four fire engines are also fighting a second fire in Shirley Hills slightly further south near Chapel View, MyLondon reports.
It comes as the Met Office warned temperatures were still climbing early on Tuesday afternoon after London Heathrow reported a record-breaking temperature of 40.2C at 12.50pm on Tuesday.
Fire crews have battled hundreds of wildfires across the country as temperatures topping 40C transformed fields and grassland into a "tinderbox".
One regional service said the number of open fires could have tripled this week, while the Met Office warned that most of England was at exceptional risk.
Some were forced to evacuate their homes, and the National Trust admitted it was on "tenterhooks" over the possibility of a large-scale blaze.
West Midlands Fire Service alone received 717 incident calls on Monday - an increase of 280 in the space of a week.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has seen a "significant increase" in grass fires over the last month, with numbers rising even further this week.
Charles Spencer, who lives on the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire, tweeted a picture of one of his fields on fire.
On Tuesday, a significant fire on a farm in Blidworth has been declared a major incident by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We received a call at 1.35pm today (19 July 2022) to reports of a fire in the open.
"Currently, we have 15 crews in attendance at this incident from around the county including support from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
"We are advising the public to avoid the area and if affected by the smoke to close their doors and windows."
In Durham on Tuesday, County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service say they are dealing with a grass fire on the Coast to Coast route from Beamish to Stanley.
According to the Met Office, most of England is at "exceptional" risk of wildfires, aside from the South West and patches of the North.
"I haven't even seen the exceptional category being used in the times I've looked at the Wildfire Index before," Kathryn Brown, The Wildlife Trust's director for climate action, told PA news agency.
"We need to be much more aware, and the public needs to be much more aware, of the wildfire risk."
London Fire Brigade was dealing with numerous fires on Tuesday after declaring a major incident.
These include:
- 30 fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.
- 12 fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.
- 10 fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.
- Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.
- Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.
- Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.
- Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.
- Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.
– Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.LFB’s assistant commissioner for operational resilience and control, Patrick Goulbourne, said: “The brigade remains ready to respond to incidents.
“However, we want to ensure our resources are available for people who really need our help.
“If you see a fire smouldering, please don’t hesitate to call us.
“The sooner we know about a fire, the sooner we can bring it under control and prevent it from spreading further, reducing the need for us to mobilise additional resources.
“We are also strongly urging people not to have barbecues or bonfires today as the ground is incredibly dry, which means even the smallest sparks could cause a fire.
“Please take care during the heatwave as all emergency services are facing unprecedented challenges.”
The Met Police said: "Our London Fire Brigade (LFB) 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.
"We are providing vehicle support to transport firefighters to and from incidents to ensure fire engines can stay where they are needed most. We will continue to work closely with our partners to provide whatever further support we can.
"Officers will also be patrolling open spaces in the coming hours to ensure that Londoners are following the LFB advice to keep us all safe."
The fire service is also made a desperate plea to the public not to have barbeques or bonfires on Tuesday.
They've urged people not to barbeque in parks or open spaces, not to leave broken bottles or glass on the ground, and asked people to dispose of cigarettes safely.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Tuesday night: "I have just been updated on the national fire situation. With dangerous fires burning across the country, I continue to urge the public to follow all safety advice from their local fire service, and stay safe.
"I pay tribute to the professionalism and skill of our fire services, who are working in difficult conditions to protect lives and communities.
"Please continue to follow all advice from your local emergency services."
