Around 100 firefighters were deployed on Tuesday to battle a fire that swept through an east London town in record UK heat, fire officials said.
According to images taken from a Sky News helicopter, the fire swept through fields and destroyed several buildings and houses in the town of Wennington, about thirty kilometers from the center of the British capital.
The origin of the fire is unknown.
The fire spread over an area of 40 hectares, including homes, farm buildings and garages, firefighters said in a statement at the end of the day. Fourteen people had to be evacuated because of the disaster, the origin of which is not determined at this stage.
“I was sunbathing in my garden and a black cloud came,” said Ciar Meadows, a 30-year-old housewife. “Within an hour ‘the fire’ spread to our house,” “our cars were gone,” she continued.
The emergency services “broke down the door for the animals to come out happy, because I couldn’t go back because they evacuated us,” he said, explaining that he is now waiting for news from his home.
“It’s crazy, crazy the way it started,” said Dennis Crafter, a 54-year-old unemployed resident, stunned by the scale of the disaster.
heat record
Around 100 firefighters and 15 devices were deployed, London firefighters said on Twitter.
Faced with “several large fires in the capital during today’s record heatwave”, London firefighters have put in place an emergency procedure that allows more resources to be deployed in terms of rescue services. A dozen fires have been recorded around the capital, particularly affecting green areas in suburban London.
Under the effect of the heat wave that is sweeping Europe, the United Kingdom exceeded the 40°C threshold for the first time, with 40.3°C recorded in Coningsby, a town in the north east of England, according to the British weather agency. Meteorological Office.
Source: BFM TV
