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HUGE FIRES HAVE caused “apocalyptic scenes” in England’s West Midlands, forcing some people to flee after blazes started tearing through homes on the UK’s hottest day of the year.
West Midlands Fire Service said it was facing “extreme levels of demand” due to a fire in Stourbridge on Thursday – with two casualties affected by heat and smoke.
The fire service said six houses were affected by the blaze and the incident is estimated to involve about 40 acres of land, including a wood.
Elsewhere in the region, smoke from nearby wildfires forced the closure of the M6 northbound between junctions five and six – causing more than two hours of delays.
Explaining the closure, National Highways West Midlands said in a statement: “The fire keeps igniting. Fire commander at the scene not happy for M6 to be reopened until fire fully extinguished.”
The road later reopened, but motorists continued to face six miles of congestion.
West Midlands mayor Richard Parker described the “multiple fires across our region” as an “extremely worrying and fast moving situation”.
In nearby Warwickshire, the county’s fire and rescue service said they are responding to a “large fire” in Salford Priors, Stratford-Upon-Avon, which has been declared a major incident.
Police, fire crews and ambulances are at the scene of the wildfire.
The multiple fires in the West Midlands follow scorching temperatures across the region and other parts of the UK – with temperatures in Stourbridge sitting at 33C at 7.30pm, according to the Met Office’s forecast.
In Stourbridge, Wollaston & Stourbridge Town councillor Andrew Southall said care home residents have been evacuated alongside others as a result of the fire near Stourbridge golf course.
About 60 firefighters attended the scene after being alerted to the blaze at about 1.30pm.
Footage circulating on social media showed multiple buildings on fire and huge plumes of smoke coming from a nearby field.
The fire service said flames were spreading “across roads in places”, with people urged to stay indoors.
Drone footage published by the force showed a heat map of flames threatening to engulf homes in the area as smoke billowed across the town.
Stourbridge town hall has been set up as a rescue 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.”
Councillor Andrew Tromans, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town on Dudley Borough Council, described the scene of the fire in Stourbridge as “apocalyptic”.
In a statement on Facebook, 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.”
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