Londoners warned of ‘exceptional’ wildfire risk over the weekend

New statistics show an eight-fold increase in fires in the first week of August alone, prompting firefighters to take urgent action as temperatures are expected to hit the mid-30s in the capital. I called attention.

of london fire brigade Thousands of firefighters mobilized for 340 wildfires in the first week of August, compared with just 42 for the same week last year, he said.

Officials at the Bureau of Meteorology also warned that no rain meant the grass was very dry and that there was an “exceptional” fire risk in parts of London from Friday. is doing.

Brigade Deputy Chief of Staff Jonathan Smith said:

“Despite our warnings over the past few weeks, we know people are still barbecued in parks, dropping cigarettes out their car windows and leaving trash behind. .”

Fire Service Federation National Officer Riccardo La Torre warned that services across the UK were “completely unprepared” for the level of risk posed by the impending heatwave.

La Torre told Sky News:

“The reality is that as firefighters and rescuers, we were completely unprepared to do that.

“More than a fifth of our workforce has been cut since 2010, which equates to a reduction of more than 11,500 firefighters. I want to raise the level and increase the seriousness.

“Experts in the field have warned that these situations are coming and we have witnessed them in the last few weeks.

“We’ve seen firefighters injured, firefighters taken to hospitals, families homeless, businesses lost, and infrastructure burned down because we can’t respond to these fires quickly enough. .

“If you do, we don’t have the resources to deal with it properly.”

A July heatwave set off devastating flames, burning down many houses in the capital and making it the brigade’s busiest day since World War II.

Among them was a huge fire in the village of Wennington in east London, which destroyed several homes.

“We need to prevent a repeat of the situation we saw on 19th July, where homes, shops, garages, outbuildings and vehicles were destroyed in numerous serious fires across London,” Smith said. I did,” Smith said.

“So please, I’m asking Londoners to help protect the city we love by doing everything we can to prevent more lawn fires.

“Please do not barbecue in open spaces or balconies. Please dispose of trash safely and extinguish cigarettes.”

The brigade said there was a significant increase in calls across the board, with 18,603 calls between July 18 and August 7, up from 12,102 during the same period last year.

The warning comes at a time when the capital is set to face a hosepipe ban, with Thames Water saying it will introduce measures in the coming weeks.

Network Rail also advises commuters may see local speed limits on trains as temperatures spike during a Level 3 heatwave.

However, a spokesperson told Standard that there will be no “blanket speed limits” scheduled for this week.