In Staurbridge, fires destroyed 19 homes during the heat wave in Britain
In Stourbridge, in the West Midlands region, fires destroyed 19 homes, and another 18 were damaged. The fires broke out on Thursday, when temperatures in the UK reached a record 38.1°C amid the fifth consecutive heat wave, according to The Guardian.
According to the West Midlands Ambulance Service, paramedics treated 54 people during eight fires in the region. Nineteen of them were taken to the hospital. Residents of Stourbridge, who were evacuated due to the spread of fire near a local golf club, described thick black smoke, houses ablaze, and the rapid spread of the fire.
Some of those evacuated have not yet been able to return home and are staying at a hotel or a temporary shelter set up at the Old Swinford Hospital boarding school. According to the school’s director, Paul Kilbride, more than 20 people from a neighboring care facility were also evacuated there. Volunteers and local residents brought donations and essential supplies to the center.
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Local resident Lawrence Green, who spent the night at the evacuation center after leaving his home on Osmaston Road, described the extent of the damage as horrific. In his view, the fires should serve as a wake-up call for the country to take climate change more seriously. Bishop Martin Gorick of Dudley, who was also evacuated, spoke of the need to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
During a visit to Stourbridge, Andy Burnham said that the United Kingdom is like a “powder keg” and announced the deployment of firefighting aircraft to combat future wildfires. According to The Guardian, he also announced a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecue grills.
