‘Apocalyptic’ blaze that destroyed 15 gardens and saw 40 people evacuated in Essex was started by CHIMINEA – as firefighters probe cause of Feltham inferno and Ocado stops selling disposable barbecues
- Forty people evacuated from their homes in Greenwood Close, Chelmsford, as seven crews tackled the blaze
- Colin Shead, who was in area, said: ‘It was like an apocalyptic war film. Ash was falling from the sky like snow’
- It comes as probe continued into the cause of another fire in Feltham, which saw firefighters save 30 homes
An ‘apocalyptic’ fire that destroyed 15 gardens in Essex was started by a chimenea, it emerged today – as Ocado halted salts of disposable barbecues and landlords called for a nationwide ban.
Forty people had to be evacuated from their homes in Greenwood Close, Chelmsford, as seven crews tackled the blaze on Saturday night.
Colin Shead, who was in the area at the time, told ITV: ‘It was like an apocalyptic war film. The ash was falling from the sky like snow and covering the roads and cars. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
It comes as investigations continued into the cause of another fire in Feltham, West London, which saw 70 heroic firefighters save 30 homes from destruction.
Loud explosions were heard at the site near Heathrow Airport after a grassland fire spread to neighbouring gardens and ignited several gas canisters.
About 60 residents were evacuated from their homes due to the amount of smoke.
ESSEX: Forty people had to be evacuated from their homes in Greenwood Close, Chelmsford, as seven crews tackled the blaze on Saturday night
FELTHAM: Around 70 firefighters were called to put out a blaze in Feltham on Sunday, with pictures showing the blaze tearing through a back garden
The fire scorched trees, hedgerows, shrubs and decking at the rear of a row of properties on the road.
A garden shed was destroyed by the fire and another 15 sheds were damaged. Several properties suffered minor damage to windows, patio doors and guttering. There were no reports of any injuries.
Households are now being urged not to light fires and retailers to ban sales of disposable barbecues as England faces another heatwave in already tinder-dry conditions.
Temperatures are set to rise to the mid 30s in parts of southern England as high pressure brings more hot, dry weather, following months of low rainfall which have left the country facing the spectre of drought.
The conditions have left the countryside, as well as urban parks and gardens, extremely dry, raising the risk of more devastating wildfires, with rivers, groundwater and reservoirs at low levels.
Two water companies have already announced hosepipe bans and others have warned they may need to follow suit – and there does not appear to be any immediate let-up in the dry, hot weather for southern parts of the country.
Today, Ocado announced it had stopped selling disposable BBQs with ‘immediate effect’.
‘This is the right thing to do and we hope the remaining retailers will follow suit,’ the store tweeted.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is urging people not to light barbecues or bonfires, or let off fireworks or sky lanterns.
Area manager Neil Fenwick said: ‘While summer weather usually provides the perfect opportunity to host a barbecue or gather around a chiminea in the evening, we’re strongly discouraging people from having any kinds of fires at the moment.
‘The ground across Essex is extremely dry allowing fires to spread easily and quickly. This is true for gardens as well as fields and heathland.
‘Please help us to help you. Please don’t have barbecues or bonfires. Please don’t use fireworks or set off sky lanterns.’
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents 28,000 farmers and landowners in England and Wales, has demanded retailers follow the lead of Marks and Spencer and ban the sale of disposable barbecues across the UK this summer.
Firefighters said the blaze in Chelmsford affected the gardens of around 15 houses as well as multiple sheds, outbuildings and a group of conifer trees. Around 40 people were evacuated from their homes as a safety precaution
A number of gardens have been destroyed and 15 homes suffered damage to exterior walls, windows and guttering. A fire investigation is being carried out to determine the cause of the blaze.
The organisation’s president, Mark Tufnell said: ‘The CLA is demanding that retailers immediately ban the sale of disposable barbecues across the UK this summer in a move to curb fires spreading in the countryside which cause great damage to rural communities and businesses and jeopardise the safety of all those in the surrounding areas.
‘During this period of prolonged lack of rainfall, record temperatures during heatwaves and wildfires damaging the countryside, policies such as this which can mitigate potential further fire damage are sensible and necessary.
‘We warmly welcome people to the countryside as they seek to enjoy the glorious weather.
‘But we ask them to help us protect farmland and natural habitats by not lighting barbecues, fires and other potentially hazardous materials such as sky lanterns.’
The calls come as the Met Office is forecasting another week of sweltering weather for some parts – although the UK is not expected to see the record-breaking temperatures of July’s heatwave, where thermometers topped 40C for the first time.
Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge said: ‘We’re expecting the heat to build toward the end of the week, and expecting temperatures of 34C or 35C across parts of southern England.
‘After that the heatwave will start to subside.’
He said the heat was caused by an area of low pressure building from the west, but it would be slipping away eastwards by the end of this week, bringing fresher conditions.
But it was not yet clear from the forecasts whether there would be any ‘meaningful’ rain to relieve dry areas next week, he said.
Pictured: The Feltham fire, which erupted less than two miles from Heathrow airport, and could be clearly seen from planes coming into land
Emergency services at the scene of a huge fire on Hereford Road in Feltham on Sunday night
Low rainfall in July has left river flows in central, southern and eastern England, and eastern Scotland, below normal – with many seeing ‘exceptionally’ low levels of water flowing in them, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) said.
But rain in north west Britain in the last week or so has meant river flows are in the normal range or above normal, or even exceptionally high in the case of Cumbria.
Lucy Barker, a hydrological analyst at UKCEH, said: ‘Current forecasts suggest that dry and warm weather will continue for southern Britain through the first half of August, and hydrological forecasts suggest below normal river flows in southern Britain are likely to persist over the next few months, with exceptionally low flows likely in many catchments.
‘Groundwater levels and reservoir stocks are likely to continue to decline in these areas.
‘We would expect to see continued impacts on agriculture and the environment in addition to further pressures on water supplies, with the possibility of further restrictions.’
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said 10 fire engines and about 70 firefighters were called to the blaze on Hereford Road in Feltham on Sunday at 4.35pm
