A child and three firefighters were among those taken to hospital as several fires raged across the West Midlands on Thursday, destroying homes and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate as the UK recorded its hottest day of the year.
Fire services in the region said they experienced extreme levels of demand throughout the day. A huge blaze near Stourbridge Golf Course saw about 100 firefighters battling flames that spread rapidly through dry grass and woodland, setting alight six homes. The fire covered roughly 40 acres of land, including woodland, and West Midlands Fire Service said it had "several points of origin".
Elsewhere in the region, four homes were destroyed by fire in Stoke-on-Trent, a woman was seriously injured in a blaze in Castle Vale, Birmingham, and a major incident was declared following a fire in Warwickshire.
The region's fire chief, Simon Tuhill, said there had been extensive devastation. He said the service's fire control team had dealt with thousands of 999 calls during the day and described the fires as "one of the most significant" incidents the service had ever dealt with.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was "awful" to see the impact on homes and communities and thanked firefighters tackling the blazes. "My thoughts are with everyone affected, particularly those who have been injured or forced from their homes, and with the firefighters who have been taken to hospital," he said. "I'm in touch with local leaders like [West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker] and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response."
Parker described the large number of fires as an "extremely worrying and fast-moving situation".
The ambulance service said six people were treated at the scene of the Stourbridge fire, with two taken to hospital. Earlier, the fire service said a child and three firefighters had been taken to hospital across the region.
Jane Baxter, who was evacuated from her home off Norton Road in Stourbridge, said she first noticed the smell of smoke at about 13:15 BST, which became "horrendous", adding that she "could see the flames above the rooftops of the houses". Residents in homes backing on to the golf course were told by police to leave, with one resident, Dave Edwards, saying people were told to wet their fences and prepare to flee as the fire spread. Aerial footage showed the extent of the damage, with several homes destroyed and smoke spreading for miles.
There was also a large fire off Hillmeads Road in Druids Heath, Birmingham, on Thursday. In Worcestershire, several homes were damaged and 30 residents evacuated in Pershore following a large fire in Lancelott Court. One person was treated for smoke inhalation, the fire service said, with about 200 homes in the area left without power.
Several homes were also evacuated in Stoke-on-Trent due to a blaze in the Goldenhill area of the city. One resident said four homes had been destroyed by the fire, describing them as "completely gone".
Severn Trent Water warned of disruption to water supplies across the West Midlands as a result of the fires.
In Warwickshire, the county's fire and rescue service said it was responding to a "large fire" in Salford Priors, near Stratford-upon-Avon, which was declared a major incident. By 21:00 on Thursday it had been stood down, although fire crews remained at the scene.
Smoke from some of the fires forced the closure of the M6 northbound between junctions five and six, causing more than two hours of delays.
