London’s burning: At least four major fires tear through city destroying houses
Joe RobertsTuesday 19 Jul 2022 3:06 pm
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Smoke from several grassfires can be seen from a flatblock in Dagenham, east London (Picture: Alamy Live News)
The London Fire Brigade has declared a ‘major incident’ as crews tackle multiple fires across the city.
Several homes on the edge of the capital were destroyed after a grassfire broke out and spread wildly out of control.
Desperate residents could be seen running to escape the blaze before 100 firefighters arrived on the scene in Wennington, close to the Dartford Crossing.
Fires have raged across London this afternoon
Terrified residents could be seen running from their homesin Wennington (Picture: Sky News)
It appears strong wind blew the rising flames from a field onto the row of houses, gutting them within minutes.
Meanwhile, shocking footage shows an enormous wildfire licking the A2 in Dartford.
Drivers were filmed coming perilously close to the flames that have torn through woodland along the major route out of the capital.
No casualties have been reported yet but thick smoke is impairing visibility across the road.
Flames quickly engulfed the row of homes in Wennington as London Fire Brigade declared a ‘major incident’ (Picture: Sky News)
A wildfire tears through woodland along the A2 in Dartford
The enormous scale of the fire alongside the A2, Dartford
The out-of-control fire was blown onto the houses (Picture: Sky News)
In nearby Upminster, east London, almost 200 firefighters were tackling a huge grassfire as temperatures reached record-breaking highs.
Three hectares of cornfield and scrubland were ablaze, billowing smoke over the M25.
Homes are also facing destruction in Dagenham as a huge grassfire triggered an evacuation on Ballards Road.
Pictures show thick black smoke getting closer to buildings as eight fire engines arrive on the scene.
Thick black smoke rises from a grassfire in Dagenham (Picture: Reuters)
