Hundreds of firefighters battled for many hours on Tuesday to contain blazes in at least 10 areas in London caused by unprecedented hot weather in the United Kingdom.
The UK began to face the heatwave on Monday and it peaked at 40.3 degrees centigrade, the highest ever in the country on Tuesday. The previous highest temperature was 38.7 degrees centigrade recorded in 2019.
Firefighters were placed on alert ahead of the heatwave.
By midmorning, fire broke almost simultaneously in different parts of Greater London across the UK capital. Areas affected by the fire which gutted homes, business premises, farms, and parks include Wennington, Croyden, Dagenham, and Upminster.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan described the situation as “critical”.
Khan advised the people to stop having barbecues in any locations as the heatwaves persist.
