The fire at Thamesmead is only the latest major blaze to hit the UK (Picture: Twitter/@LondonFire)
The London Fire Brigade is battling three major blazes in the capital, including a huge grass fire at Thamesmead which is sending columns of smoke into the air.
The brigade urged people to cancel all planned barbecues as it announced that it is once again tackling ‘significant’ incidents of weather-related fires in the city.
It tweeted: ‘London Fire Brigade is dealing with a number of weather related fires across the capital. We’re tackling significant incidents in #Enfield, #Hayes and #Thamesmead.
‘Between midnight and 5pm we’ve attended more incidents than we would in a normal 24 hour period.
‘Please help us prevent further fires by cancelling all planned BBQs, removing rubbish especially glass from grassland & disposing cigarettes correctly.
‘Our firefighters & control officers are doing a fantastic job in challenging conditions. Your co-operation will help us greatly.’
Video showed huge plumes of smoke rising from near the Thames earlier this afternoon.
The LFB explained: ‘Eight fire engines, the fire boat and around 65 firefighters are dealing with a grass fire on Defence Close in #Thamesmead. Please close your doors and windows if you live nearby.’
In Hayes, it said ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are dealing with a grass fire in Cranford Park.
Around five hectares of grass and shrubland are alight in the area.
That is producing huge quantities of smoke across West London, after the brigade were alerted at 2.55pm.
A fire battered the village of Wennington, in east London, earlier this week (Picture: PA)
People in the area are also being urged to shut their doors and windows.
Three hours ago, 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters were dealing with the grass fire in Rammey Marsh, #Enfield – which was also creating a lot of smoke.
That fire is spread over 20 hectares.
It comes as fire brigades across the country face similar issues, with a major incident being declared in Surrey this afternoon.
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Various major incidents have been declared in the last week, following record-breaking 40°C heat and limited rainfall, which experts say has been made more likely by the climate crisis.
After swathes of the city caught fire on the UK’s hottest ever day this week, one expert has suggested that only low winds prevented another ‘Great Fire of London’.
Temperatures across the south-east of England reached 29°C on Sunday, according to the Met Office.
The UK has been experiencing a heatwave with a record-breaking high of 40.3°C, in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday.
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/24/london-fire-lfb-battling-three-major-blazes-17059340/
