Britain on fire as thousands evacuated while wildfires rage all across UK

An urgent warning has now been issued as the hot and dry weather saw wildfires rage across the United Kingdom over the weekend and into Monday, with evacuations taking place

Hunderds of Brits were evacuated last night after wildfires raged across parts of the country. The mix of hot weather and lack of rain saw fires rage across three regions – Dagenham, Hornchurch and Walthamstow.

The former saw around 125 firefighters and 20 engines brought in to battle a huge eight-hectare wildfire, which did reach several properties and damaged gardens and garden furniture.

The blaze was said to be under control by around 9.46pm, while a similar sized fire in Hornchurch saw 60 firefighters and eight engines attend a huge blaze.

That was controlled using wildfire beaters by around 10.31pm, while another in Walthamstow was controlled at around 11.23pm, destroying three hectares of grassland in the process.

Fire officer Craig Fenner said of the Dagenham fire: “Firefighters worked extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby properties. The fire had reached some garden fences, sheds and garden furniture.

“As well as our jets, we used wildfire beaters to beat the flames and stop them from reaching the properties. Firefighters will remain at the scene for the next few hours to continue to dampen down the surrounding area.

No causes of any of the three huge fires has yet been discovered, as investigations are ongoing.

The fires come days after huge blazes were tacked in New Forest, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, with several areas of parkland destroyed over the span of seven fires.

And now a London Fire Brigade spokesman has issued an urgent warning as parts of the country are now officially in drought.

“As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly,” they said.

“In London, this can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.

“If you’re heading out, please don’t take a disposable BBQ with you. They can retain heat for several hours after use and are banned by local authorities from many of London’s parks.

“Also make sure you are discarding of cigarettes properly and take rubbish home with you if no bins are available.

“At home, make sure your BBQ is positioned away from flammable items like fences, sheds, decking and trees and please don’t have any type of BBQ on your balcony. We’re also strongly advising people to avoid burning any waste in this type of weather and to not have bonfires, particularly in their gardens.”

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