A fast-moving Stourbridge blaze destroys 19 homes as fires rage across England and Wales
A national emergency alert has been issued across England and Wales after a wave of fires destroyed homes, forced families to evacuate and left firefighters battling multiple incidents.
The government sent the warning on Friday evening, urging people not to light anything capable of starting a wildfire as dangerous conditions continued across the country.
The alert followed devastating scenes in Stourbridge, West Midlands, where a fire that began on Thursday spread rapidly through grass and woodland before reaching residential areas.
West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that 19 homes were destroyed and another 18 damaged.
Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill described the Stourbridge blaze as one of the most significant incidents the service had ever faced.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited the town on Friday and urged the public to take the national warning seriously. He said firefighters had requested the alert as emergency services confronted numerous fires across England and Wales.
Investigators are now working alongside other emergency services to determine how the Stourbridge fire began. Police have said they are keeping an open mind about the cause.
Many residents remain unable to return to their properties, with some of the areas worst affected by the flames still behind cordons. Among those evacuated was the Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverend Martin Gorick.
Firefighters continued working at the scene overnight into Saturday. West Midlands Fire Service later announced that Norton Road would reopen with limited vehicle access, offering one sign of progress as crews continued efforts to extinguish the fire.
For families forced to flee, the speed of the blaze left little time to react.
Stourbridge resident Mike Davis said police ordered his family from their home. They grabbed a small number of belongings before leaving without knowing whether the property would survive.
Jane Baxter, whose house backs onto the golf course, described having only minutes to collect essential items. Police quickly returned to tell her and her husband they needed to leave immediately.
The flames also threatened animals at the nearby Sugarloaf Equestrian Centre. Staff raced to move horses after fire reached a field where they were being kept.
Abbie Harvey, who helped with the rescue effort, said the heat became so intense that staff could feel it against their legs as they worked to get the animals to safety.
Two people from Stourbridge were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Firefighters were also injured during incidents across the West Midlands.
The Stourbridge emergency formed part of a much wider outbreak of fires.
Near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, authorities declared a major incident after residents were evacuated and roads closed. In Hampshire, crews spent a sixth day fighting a wildfire in the New Forest.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service responded to 16 emergencies on Thursday afternoon, including a blaze at Mousehold Heath in Norwich.
Other serious fires struck Warstock and Kings Norton in Birmingham. Police arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
In Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent, four homes were destroyed, and other properties suffered damage. Police arrested two people on suspicion of arson, while six firefighters required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
At least three homes and several gardens were also destroyed in fires in Willenhall.
Burnham said 37 fires were burning across England and Wales on Friday and warned that conditions over the weekend could remain difficult.
The government has responded by temporarily banning the sale of disposable barbecues, although officials have not suggested that every fire was caused by them.
With homes already lost and firefighters continuing to confront blazes across several regions, the emergency alert carries a simple message: avoid doing anything that could start another fire.