London’s burning: At least four major fires tear through city destroying houses

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.

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.

A wildfire tears through woodland along the A2 in Dartford

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Terrified residents could be seen running from their homes in Wennington (Picture: Sky News)

Flames quickly engulfed the row of homes in Wennington as London Fire Brigade declared a ‘major incident’ (Picture: Sky News)

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)

A grassfire erupted in a field close to the M25 in Upminster, east London

Crews are also tackling two simultaneous grassfires in Croydon on Oaks Road and Chapel View.

The London Ambulance Service confirmed it is dealing with multiple incidents across the city.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are responding to a number of fire incidents across London including at Rainham and Wembley.

‘We have a number of resources on scene including ambulance crews and our Hazardous Response teams. We are treating patients on scene.’

Earlier this afternoon, temperatures exceeded 40°C for the first time ever in the UK.

The threshold was hit at 12.50pm in Heathrow, when a provisional temperature of 40.2°C was recorded.

The nation’s previous extreme was 38.7°C, set in Cambridge in 2019.

Where are the fires in London?

•  Thirty fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.
•  Fifteen fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington.
•  Twelve fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.
•  Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.
•  Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.
•  Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.
•  Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.
•  Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.
•  Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.
•  Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.

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