Tinderbox Britain: Safety warning over multiple fires across UK (including BAN on park barbecues)

The UK heatwave has prompted emergency services to urge members of the public to avoid ‘careless and reckless’ behaviour after a spate of field fires.

Fire crews have already attended six times as many large grass fires in London this year compared to the whole of 2017.

Tom George, deputy commissioner and director of operations for London Fire Brigade, said the force was ‘fed up of politely asking people to take care’, as temperatures threaten to rise to a UK all-time record of 38.5C (101.3F).

He said: ‘There hasn’t been any rain for several weeks and I’ve never seen London looking so parched. All it takes is one act of stupidity and the whole lot can go up in minutes.’

The force also claimed that ‘careless and reckless members of the public are putting lives at risk’, and encouraged people to take extra care with cigarettes and barbecues.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) is now calling for a temporary ban on barbecues in public parks.

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton, who has written to all London councils suggesting the move, said: ‘I have attended a number of these large grass fires and it never ceases to shock me how many abandoned smouldering barbecues fire crews spot. In these arid conditions, barbecuing on dry grass is not just thoughtless, it’s reckless.’

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She added: ‘It’s only a matter of time before hot smoke and flaming debris catches nearby cars and houses and someone is seriously hurt.’

So far this year London’s fire crews have tackled six times as many large grass fires as the total number attended in 2017. Barbecues are one of the main causes of grass fires along with cigarettes and glass bottles.

Many parks across the capital have got signs up warning about the dangers of barbecues.

Crystal Palace Park is among the public spaces that insist all barbecues be raised off the ground in a bid to protect the grass and reduce risk of fire.

In another attempt to prevent ‘catastrophic’ fires from starting, drivers are being urged not to throw rubbish from vehicles.

There were 56 fires on grass verges next to England’s motorways and major A-roads in the 10 days to Wednesday, Highways England reported.

Highways England worked with the emergency services to tackle a serious fire involving a lorry that was carrying hay on the M5 in the Midlands on July 19.

As well as dealing with the blaze on the vehicle and the carriageway, crews had to dampen nearby woods and a field beyond that.

Highways England emergency planning officer Frank Bird said: ‘Smoke from roadside fires can drift across motorways posing a hazard to drivers. We’ve seen an increase in fires on grass verges near some of our motorways, for example on the M42 in the Midlands.

‘With the land being so dry, it often only takes a small spark to take hold. We’d urge people to avoid throwing any items from vehicles at any time, but particularly in these hot conditions.’

Fires across the country have been reported this week, as temperatures regularly climb into the 30s.

Visitors to Drusillas Park, East Sussex, had to leave after flames took hold on dry grassland at Berwick Court Farm on Wednesday afternoon.

No humans or animals were injured, the park said.

Also on Wednesday, a farm attraction run by chef Jamie Oliver’s best friend and TV co-host was evacuated after a fire broke out on a neighbouring farm’s field.

Staff at Jimmy’s Farm, which is run by Jimmy Doherty in Wherstead near Ipswich, Suffolk, ushered visitors out as a precautionary measure.

Crews were earlier called to a separate 25-acre crop fire at Elveden, which was called in at 10.24am.

Fifteen fire engines attended, with a drone used to help direct units on the ground and a local farmer helping to create fire breaks.

It was brought under control by 12.20pm. The cause of the fire is not known.

Meanwhile, a 40-mile smoke cloud from wildfires on one of Britain’s biggest military training areas engulfed dozens of town and villages.

The blazes were caused by live ammunition explosions setting fire to tinderbox scrubland on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

Heavy smoke drifted across nearby towns such as Frome and Trowbridge, with reports coming from as far afield as Bath and Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

One of the main roads crossing the plain, the A360, was closed overnight on Wednesday and some train services around Westbury were disrupted on Thursday.

On Thursday morning the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIA), which operates Salisbury Plain, suspended live firing after the fire service raised concerns.

In another costly blaze, two £140,000 machines were left completely burnt out as farmers – in different counties – struggled to tend their crops in the heat at the weekend.

One smouldering farm machine was burnt to ruins in Wiltshire, while firefighters in Worcestershire were unable to save another combine.

Some 200 acres of straw caught fire in Moulton, Suffolk, on Wednesday morning.

The field fire started at about 11.30am as farmers at Moulton Manor Farms were bailing straw.

Some 40 firefighters and eight fire engines, including a crew from RAF Lakenheath, fought the blaze with smoke from the burning straw seen as far away as Newmarket and Soham.

Fire scorched fields in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, were reportedly a result of of bored teens on their summer holidays setting them alight.

With scorching temperatures expected to continue over coming weeks, emergency services have been providing extra safety advice in a bid to stave off more blazes.

Tony Carlin, from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said crews were providing a ‘fantastic service’, adding: ‘With the forecast set to remain warm and dry for several weeks, we really need people to help us, help them by taking some basic precautions to prevent fires.

‘For example, take rubbish with you if you are out and about in the countryside as glass bottles and cigarette ends can easily start fires.’

London Fire Brigade’s own tips for preventing grass fires are:

• Dispose of smoking materials such as cigarettes and matches safely

• Never leave camp fires or barbecues unattended and extinguish them properly after you have finished using them

• Clear away bottles, glasses and any broken glass to avoid them magnifying the sun and starting a fire

• Explain to children the dangers of playing with and lighting fires