Wildfires devastated more than a dozen homes in Stourbridge on Thursday, with residents describing the blazes as “horrendous” and “distressing”. The West Midlands ambulance service reported that 54 people were treated at eight different fires, with 19 individuals taken to hospital.
The fire service confirmed that 19 homes in Stourbridge were fully destroyed and an additional 18 were damaged. The fires spread as temperatures in the UK reached a record high of 38.1C, marking the country's fifth consecutive heatwave.
Andy Burnham, visiting Stourbridge on Friday, described the UK as a “tinderbox” and announced the commissioning of firefighting planes for future wildfires. Residents who were evacuated from their homes near the town’s golf course praised the support from local authorities and neighbours, with some staying at a nearby hotel or a makeshift evacuation centre at a local boarding school.