Angela Rayner has said the devastation caused by the wildfire in Stourbridge was "like going through a movie" as she walked among the fire-damaged shells of homes on Quarry Park Road, where 19 properties were destroyed.
The Housing Secretary visited the West Midlands town on Monday and met families who fled with nothing. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, she admitted she was not prepared for what she found.
'I've never seen that level of devastation'
Asked if she had been ready for what she saw, Ms Rayner said: "No, it was like going through a movie. I've never seen that level of devastation and the indiscriminate way in which you can see the fire had moved so swiftly, and just the sheer devastation of what happened there, and seeing the people who I've seen today who are shell shocked, who have lost everything. You know, they've worked all their lives, and they just saw everything go."
She recounted meeting a woman who had been widowed around 12 months ago and had lost the home and possessions she shared with her late husband. "She's lost everything. That must be incredibly devastating," Ms Rayner said. She also described another family who ran their business from home and lost all their paperwork, adding: "They came out of the house with no shoes on."
Government response to wildfires
Speaking at West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service HQ in Birmingham, Ms Rayner said families were "really devastated" but thankful that no lives were lost. She said: "I think people recognise that, thank God, nobody was seriously injured or no lives were lost. I mean, if you look at the scale of the devastation and how quickly that engulfed, I think people are thankful that that is the case."
Ms Rayner told broadcasters that wildfire challenges were "becoming more frequent", noting the Government had introduced £100 million more equipment and specialist fire crews for wildfires. She said: "We're seeing a pattern here with the wildfires. We're seeing a pattern with climate. We have introduced £100 million more equipment and we've got specialist fire crews now that look at wildfires, and they have been pushed by what's happened."
She added that the Government was "assessing the situation with water" and pressing water companies to tackle leakages and invest in infrastructure. "We want the water companies to do more and we're pressing them to do more. And, of course, we're assessing the risks to make sure that we have the appropriate water supplies that people need," she said.
Residents return to partially damaged homes
Residents evacuated from the area last week have been allowed to return to view their properties, according to an update from Dudley Borough Council released on Sunday. Chief executive Balvinder Heran said in a residents' briefing that 13 households whose properties were partially damaged have been able to return.
The Stourbridge fire is among a host of blazes across Britain over the last week, including fires in South Wales, the New Forest, and the Cairngorms in Scotland. On Friday evening, millions of people in England and Wales received a mobile alert warning of a "very high risk of wildfires nationally".
