Wildfires tearing through the West Midlands have left a trail of damaged homes, dozens needing medical treatment and police making arrests as emergency services battled what one official called “apocalyptic scenes” on the UK’s hottest day of the year.
Staffordshire Police said two people in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of arson after a large fire damaged four homes in the region. Officers were alerted shortly before 4.15pm yesterday when the local fire service called to report crews tackling a grass fire behind Maureen Avenue that was spreading rapidly.
A 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, both from Stoke-on-Trent, were arrested in connection with the incident, the force said.
Police said the blaze has since been brought under control, but not before it affected four homes as well as a number of gardens.
Across the wider West Midlands, paramedics treated 54 people following outbreaks of wildfires, with 19 taken into hospital.
The scale of the blazes triggered thousands of 999 calls and produced “apocalyptic scenes”, according to a fire chief speaking after the region was hit by huge fires in extreme heat.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said in an update this morning it had attended “a number of serious fires” across the area “as hot and dry conditions continue”.
In Stourbridge, the ambulance service treated six patients, including a woman and a boy who were taken to hospital because of the effects of smoke inhalation.
Anthony Marsh, chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said yesterday had been an “extremely busy day for our crews” and added he was “immensely proud” of staff.
Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill of West Midlands Fire Service said the Stourbridge blaze near Birmingham forced some residents to flee as flames tore through homes, leaving “extensive” devastation. He described it as “one of the most significant” incidents the service has ever faced.
The burnt out remains of houses in the Quarry Park Road area of Stourbridge
Mr Tuhill said he had spoken with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who later issued a statement praising firefighters battling the wildfires.
Mr Burnham said: “Awful to see homes and communities hit by fires across the country tonight as the heatwave continues.
“My thoughts are with everyone affected, particularly those who have been injured or forced from their homes, and with the firefighters who have been taken to hospital.
Watch: Wildfires hit homes in England’s midlands
“I’m in touch with local leaders (including West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker) and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response.
“Our firefighters are working in incredibly difficult conditions and putting themselves at risk to keep others safe. A huge thank you to them and everyone supporting the effort tonight,” the UK leader added.
Mr Burnham has promised additional support and resources for fire and rescue services if needed, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker told Sky News.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary of State Angela Rayner said: “We are working closely with the local Fire and Rescue Service and partners on the ground in Stourbridge and are being regularly updated.
A property on Racecourse Lane in Stourbridge burnt out as a result of the fires
“I would like to thank the brave emergency services, and my thoughts are with people who have been forced to leave their homes.”
Health officials have also extended a heat health alert until tomorrow across much of England, warning that soaring temperatures could raise health risks for vulnerable people.
The alert follows provisional temperatures of 38.1C recorded at Kew Gardens in London yesterday — the second time this year the UK has seen temperatures reach 38C.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said its amber heat health alert for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, London and East of England will remain in place until 10am tomorrow.
All other English regions are under an amber alert until 9pm on Friday.
Conditions are expected to ease slightly today, with highs of 34C forecast in the south east.
Even so, forecasts suggest little rain for the Midlands and many parts of England through the weekend.
At the Stourbridge scene, Mr Tuhill said more than 100 firefighters were deployed. He said the fire is believed to have started in grassland before racing towards nearby homes.
Authorities said an investigation will examine how the Stourbridge fire began.
Smoke rising from a fire in the Stourbridge area
In neighbouring Worcestershire, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said a major fire on Lancelott Court in Pershore damaged a number of homes and led to the evacuation of 30 properties.
The service said the incident, reported at about 4.30pm, left one person treated for smoke inhalation and cut power to around 200 homes.
Elsewhere in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent saw another fire in the Goldenhill area that affected “a small number of properties and gardens”.
Video shared on social media appeared to show multiple buildings alight and thick plumes of smoke rising from a nearby field.
The fire service said flames were spreading ‘across roads in places’
The fire service said flames were spreading “across roads in places”, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Drone footage released by the force showed a heat map of flames threatening to engulf homes as smoke drifted across the town.
In Stourbridge, the town hall has been set up as a rescue centre for people forced to leave their homes.
Councillor Andrew Tromans described the scenes in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”.
Writing on Facebook, he said: “The apocalyptic scenes in Norton and across Stourbridge are sadly just a taste of what is to come if we don’t act.”
He added: “It is my view, and it has been for a while, that Dudley councillors must have an emergency meeting about protecting our borough from the impacts of climate change.”
