Residents evacuated from homes as 125 firefighters battle wildfire

Yahoo

2 days ago

Residents have been temporarily evacuated from their homes after a wildfire broke out in East London on Monday evening.
Around 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were used to bring the blaze near Clemence Road, Dagenham under control, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
LFB added that the fire had covered approximately eight hectares of grass and shrubland.
While fences, sheds and garden furniture were damaged, firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to homes in the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Station commander Matt Hayward said: 'Firefighters worked extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby properties.
'The fire had reached some garden fences, sheds and garden furniture. As well as our jets, we used wildfire beaters to beat the flames and stop them from reaching the properties.
'We also thank Barking and Dagenham Council, who had put fire breaks in place, which helped stop the fire from reaching the properties.
'We also had great support from our blue light colleagues, Essex Fire and Rescue Service and the London Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team.
'Firefighters will remain at the scene for the next few hours to continue to dampen down the surrounding area.'
One of four wildfire response vehicles currently being trialled by LFB was deployed to the incident.
The vehicles, which have off-road capabilities, enabling equipment to be brought closer to fires on open ground and allow firefighters to pump water and drive, making tackling grass fires quicker and safer.
More than 75 calls were received from 6.30pm on Monday regarding the incident, with the fire brought under control by 9.46pm.