extinguish flames in the village lost to time

The police came to our house and told us to get what we could like personal belongings.' She said: 'We were told that one of the fields had caught fire. Pensioner Lynn Sabberton told Sky News police came to her home and told her she and her husband who suffers from a lung condition had to evacuate. Walter Martin, 61, landlord of the Lennards Arms, a local pup that has escaped the flames for now, said: 'I got a phone call at about 12:50 and I saw a little smoke, I walked around and saw a small fire and then saw it just go up. It was a little fire out the back garden.' It started as a little fire around the back of the houses and if someone had been there to put it out we wouldn't have had all this trouble. The inferno is also close to the Grade II-listed medieval St Mary and St Peter's Church which dates back to the 12th century.Įmergency services from Dagenham, Deptford, Bethnal Green, Woodford, Lee Green, Forest Hill and surrounding fire stations are at the scene in Warrington to tackle a massive blazeĭistressed residents could be seen on the phones trying to get information, and villagers were also seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered – but officers then evacuated the pub as the inferno rapidly approached.īriae Brazier, 75, who lives in Rainham and works with horses, was leaning on a police car topless and said: 'The fire has burnt my stables out. Warm winds fanned the flames making it spread on the tinder dry ground. The fire in Wennington spread through houses and gardens backing onto shrubland as fire crews battled to stop flames spreading to neighbouring properties. The UK is also hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados. The extreme heat has been caused by a plume of hot air from north Africa and the Sahara and an 'Azores High' subtropical pressure system creeping further north than usual - which experts say is a result of climate change.įorecasters said an absolute maximum of 43C (109F) is possible today, although it now looks unlikely - and the highs in England are equal to the warmest spots anywhere in Europe today. Firefighters in London said they were battling 'several significant fires'. There was also a major gorse blaze at Zennor in Cornwall.Īnd smoke drifted over the M25 as almost 200 firefighters and 30 fire engines tried to extinguish a corn field blaze in Upminster. The sweltering heat also sparked major fires in the Essex countryside in Upminster and across the Thames at Dartford in Kent on a day when millions of people were working from home. In third place is 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003, and 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday is fourth. The record was first broken today in the morning and a reading of 39.1C (102.4F) in Charlwood, Surrey, beating the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. Later in the afternoon, Coningsby in Lincolnshire inched the mercury a little higher, setting the current UK temperature record of 40.3 (104.54F). The surge in blazes ravaging London comes amid unprecedented temperatures that saw the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time in the UK, with London Heathrow Airport registering a new provisional UK temperature record of 40.2C (104.4F) at 12.50pm. 'The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.' Fire crews from Dagenham, Deptford, Bethnal Green, Woodford, Lee Green, Forest Hill and surrounding fire stations are at the scene. No cause has been determined as yet.Ī spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said: 'A row of terraced houses and an area of scrubland are involved in the blaze. Police have cordoned off the area but are being forced to extend the danger zone as the fire burns out of control and the danger zone spreads.

Aerial footage has shown smoke covering the village while nearby grassland and outbuildings continue to burn. The fire is believed to have started in grassland before spreading to nearby buildings close to a fire station, with crews called into action around 1pm. London Fire Brigade has declared a 'major incident' in response to a huge surge in fires across the capital today as it came under 'immense pressure', with 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters dealing with the ongoing Wennington blaze alone. A devastated woman was pictured being comforted by two men near the village of Wennington on the outskirts of east London today, where a huge grass blaze has dramatically ripped through a street, destroying at least five houses as Britain sees 40C (104F) temperatures for the first time on record.

Extinguish flames in the village lost to time