Huge fires have caused “apocalyptic scenes” in the West Midlands, forcing some people to flee after blazes started tearing through homes on the UK’s hottest day of the year. West Midlands Fire Service said it was facing “extreme levels of demand” because of a fire in Stourbridge on Thursday, which led to a child and three firefighters being taken to hospital.
Six homes affected in Stourbridge
The fire service said six houses were affected by the blaze, and the incident is estimated to involve about 40 acres of land, including a wood. West Midlands mayor Richard Parker described the “multiple fires across our region” as an “extremely worrying and fast-moving situation”.
Fires spread across the region
In neighbouring Worcestershire, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said a number of homes had been damaged and 30 properties were evacuated in Pershore following a large fire on Lancelott Court after temperatures in the UK reached 38C. The fire service said one person was treated for smoke inhalation following the incident at around 4.30pm, and around 200 homes in the area were left without power.
In Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, another blaze hit “a small number of properties and gardens” in the Goldenhill area of the city. Severn Trent Water warned of disruption to water supply across the West Midlands as a result of the wildfires. The company said customers in Kidsgrove, near Stoke-on-Trent, may experience lower pressure and discoloured water because firefighters needed to use hydrants.
Major incident declared in Warwickshire
In Warwickshire, the county’s fire and rescue service said it was responding to a “large fire” in Salford Priors, Stratford-upon-Avon, which has been declared a major incident. Police, fire crews and ambulances are at the scene of the wildfire. Elsewhere in the region, smoke from nearby wildfires forced the closure of the M6 northbound between junctions five and six – causing more than two hours of delays.
Explaining the closure, National Highways West Midlands said in a statement: “The fire keeps igniting. Fire commander at the scene not happy for M6 to be reopened until fire fully extinguished.” The motorway later reopened but motorists continued to face six miles of congestion.
Evacuations and rescue centre
The multiple fires in the West Midlands follow scorching temperatures across the region and other parts of the UK – with temperatures in Stourbridge sitting at 33C at 7.30pm, according to the Met Office’s forecast. Wollaston & Stourbridge Town councillor Andrew Southall said care home residents were evacuated alongside others as a result of the fire near Stourbridge golf course. About 60 firefighters attended the scene after being alerted to the blaze at about 1.30pm.
Resident Phillip Jones, who lives close to where the fire in Stourbridge took hold, told Sky News: “It was quite hard to breathe, actually, when we left the car, getting to the home.” He added: “We have the golf course and then the cricket club between us and the fire. So, at the moment, we have grab bags by the door, ready to leave if we have to leave, but it hasn’t come to that yet, thankfully for us.”
Footage on social media showed multiple buildings on fire and huge plumes of smoke coming from a nearby field. The fire service said flames were spreading “across roads in places”, with people urged to stay indoors. Drone footage published by the force showed a heat map of flames threatening to engulf homes in the area as smoke billowed across the town. Stourbridge town hall has been set up as a rescue centre for people who have had to flee their homes.
Councillor Andrew Tromans, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town on Dudley Borough Council, described the scene of the fire in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”. In a statement 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 we protect our borough from the impacts of climate change.”
