A major fire has ripped through homes in Stourbridge in the West Midlands on the hottest day of the year so far.
Terrifying images showed flames and plumes of smoke rising from the homes after a grass fire broke out near a golf course and spread to the properties.
More than 60 firefighters were tackling the blaze. West Midlands Fire Service said it was facing “extreme levels of demand” due to the raging inferno, which it described as an “extensive grass fire”.
Multiple houses are on fire and people have been evacuated from their homes.
The fire service said flames were spreading “across roads in places”, and has urged people to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors closed.
Blazes have also been reported in the Druids Heath and Kings Norton areas of Birmingham and major incident has also been declared because of a large fire in Stratford-on-Avon, in Warwickshire.
The blazes come on the hottest day of the year after temperatures provisionally reached 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London.
Phillip Jones, who lives with his family close to the fire in Stourbridge told Sky News, said he is at home and has locked all his windows
Mr Jones said after smelling smoke about 1pm it “just got thicker and thicker” and he “found it quite hard to breath”.
He said the family are preparing to evacuate in case they need to, saying: “We have the golf course and then the cricket club between us and the fire. So, at the moment, we have grab bags by the door, ready to leave if we have to leave, but it hasn’t come to that yet, thankfully for us.”
“There’s a lot of concern but there’s a lot of rallying around as well, lots of offering, you know, clothes, food, places to shelter, the local church has opened up, he said.
Mr Jones believes drought and dry conditions in the area in recent months have left it vulnerable to blazes breaking out.
He added: “It’s very dry, you know, like everywhere in the country is very dry. It’s very much the same here. We’ve not had any rain, I don’t think for almost two months of any significant amount. So, yeah, everything’s just waiting to go up.”
Councillor Andrew Tromans, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town on Dudley Borough Council, described the scene in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”, and suggested climate change was a factor in the blaze breaking out.
In a Facebook post, he said: “The apocalyptic scenes in Norton and across Stourbridge are sadly just a taste of what is to come if we don’t act.”
He added: “It is my view, and it has been for a while, that Dudley councillors must have an emergency meeting about we protect our borough from the impacts of climate change.”
The fire service said among the “multiple fires across the local area”, including incidents at The Dell in Druids Heath and along Hillmeads Road in Kings Norton.
Residents across the West Midlands are being urged to stay indoors and close all doors and windows.
In a statement WMFS said: “Crews are on site managing the situations. Emergency services are advising all residents living nearby to keep their windows and doors firmly closed to avoid smoke inhalation.
“People are also being asked to avoid both areas where possible to allow emergency vehicles clear access to the scenes.”
Drone footage shared by the West Midlands Fire Service included a heat map of the flames in the area as smoke billowed across the town.
Stourbridge town hall has been set up as a centre for people who have had to flee their homes.
In a post on social media, the fire service said: “We are currently facing extreme levels of demand as a service, and need your immediate help.
“Wherever you are in the West Midlands, please do whatever you can to stay safe and minimise the risk of outdoor fires.”
“If you are directly affected by an ongoing fire, please DO NOT risk tackling it yourself. Get to a safe place and call 999. We will do our very best to get help to you as soon as we can.
“If you must drive, take extra care if you are driving, avoid areas of dense smoke, and please don’t head to areas where fires are taking place to watch.”
This breaking news story is being updated.