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Wennington wildfire

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Coordinates: 51°30′22″N 0°13′08″E / 51.5061°N 0.2189°E / 51.5061; 0.2189
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Wennington wildfire
Destroyed houses burning on the day of the fire
Date(s)19 July 2022 (2022-07-19)
13:00 – 21:47 (GMT)
LocationWennington, London, England
Coordinates51°30′22″N 0°13′08″E / 51.5061°N 0.2189°E / 51.5061; 0.2189
Statistics[1][2]
Burned area20 ha (49 acres)
Impacts
Deaths0
Evacuated90 families
Map
Wennington wildfire is located in Greater London
Wennington wildfire
Location of the fire in Greater London

The Wennington wildfire was a wildfire that took place in Wennington, east London, on 19 July 2022 during the 2022 United Kingdom heatwave. No-one was killed, but the wildfire destroyed about 18–19 houses, including all the possessions of many residents.[3] One resident said her house burned down "within two minutes".[4][5]

The wildfire began when a compost heap spontaneously combusted.[6] It took place on the hottest day since British records began,[7] and has been described as an indication of the threat posed by global warming in the UK,[8][9] a country in which wildfires have historically been rare and mostly seen on isolated grassland and moorland areas rather than in urban areas.[10][11][12]

Background

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Burned-out houses viewed a few weeks after the fire.
Wennington Road looking east in 2012. The centre of the parade of houses viewed in the image burned down in the fire.

Wennington is a village in the east of London, on the edge of the built up area.[13] The area is surrounded by grassland.[14]

Wildfires are a known risk in the UK, however, they are most associated with isolated moorland and heathland areas, rather than built-up areas.[10]

The fire occurred during the 2022 United Kingdom heat waves, and 19 July was predicted by forecasters in advance to be extremely hot.[15] Advance predictions were made that the UK's all-time temperature record could be broken,[15] which it was, with the highest temperature recorded in the country 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, breaking the previous record set in 2019 by 1.6 °C (2.9 °F).[16][7] A long period of little rain before 19 July had also left vegetation very dry.[8]

Although one of the most destructive fires of 19 July,[13] many other fires were reported on the same day. The Mayor of London reported that the number of fire brigade emergency calls was seven times the normal.[17]

Events

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By 10 a.m., London temperatures had gone over 35 °C (95 °F).[13] The fire reportedly started around 1 p.m. from a compost heap in the southeast of the village which spontaneously combusted,[13] with flames spreading along a garden fence. Although a fire station is located in the east of the village, the crews had been called out to other fires.[6][2][13] The fire brigade was called at 13:06, and a fire engine arrived seven minutes later, by which time the fire had expanded.[6][18] One firefighter told LBC News that "it felt apocalyptic, just crazy, we were chasing it and we had no chance of stopping it".[19][20]

Residents took shelter in the nearby St Mary and St Peter's Church. The church filled with smoke while they were sheltering and the fire burned through the graveyard around the building, but the church itself was not damaged.[14][21]

Parish churchwarden Tim Stock said that his family had "lost everything" but had managed to evacuate his family and pets.[14][22] Claire Taylor said that her house burned down "within two minutes" and that she lost almost all her family's possessions.[23][4][24] One resident said that grass fires in the area were quite common "but it's nothing like this...this is like the apocalypse."[25] Stock commented that "it was like a warzone...all the windows had exploded out, all the rooves had caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz".[26]

Aftermath

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Aerial view looking east, showing the fire around the church area. Wennington Fire Station is at top right.

Andy Roe, head of the London Fire Brigade, described the events as "unprecedented": "I saw stuff this week that I had not expected to see as a London firefighter."[27]

Experts commented that climate change was increasing fire risk. Guillermo Rein, Professor of Fire Sciences at Imperial College London,[28] said that "the UK will start to see fires which are much larger".[29] Dr Rory Hadden, Senior Lecturer in Fire Investigation at the University of Edinburgh,[30] commented that "as the climate changes, the UK will be susceptible to these kinds of fires which can be extremely devastating...we should expect more and larger wildfires".[11] Nigel Arnell, professor of climate system science at the University of Reading,[31] commented that "while we might not see the sorts of forest fires sweeping through Spain, Portugal and France, we are increasingly prone to fires in grassland and moorland that have the potential to affect people, property and infrastructure as well as the environment...climate change is increasing fire danger across the UK, and we need to be prepared for it."[12] Graham Beers, Station Commander of Wennington Fire Station, who had been attending another fire when the fire started, commented "These sorts of fires are not going to be the last...That's just due to climate change. Twenty years in the fire service and I've never really seen devastation like it."[13][32] Paul Davies, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, commented that the heatwave would have been "impossible in the pre-industrial era".[19] LFB Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith commented "we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes and we're developing long-term strategies to deal with more incidents like this in the future."[6]

Another grass fire began burning in the area three days later,[33] and another in August.[34]

Three Conservative Party councillors elected to Havering Council for the Rainham & Wennington ward subsequently switched to Havering Residents Association as they felt unsupported following the wildfire.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gillespie, Tom; Drummond, Michael (20 July 2022). "UK's hottest-ever day leaves charred remains of homes and cars – and 'danger isn't over'". Sky News. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Sawer, Patrick; Southworth, Phoebe; Lewis, Lauren (19 July 2022). "'We grabbed the tortoise and left': Wennington villagers flee as their homes go up in flames". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ^ Patrick, Holly. "Heatwave: Wennington resident says family 'lost everything' after house burns down". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Vinter, Robyn; Banfield-Nwachi, Mabel (20 July 2022). "'This doesn't happen in Wennington': residents and fire services reel after homes lost in blazes across England". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. ^ Heap, Tom. "The UK village devastated by wildfire – and why residents fear it could happen again". Sky News. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Sawer, Patrick (20 July 2022). "Wennington fire: Compost blaze that devastated village started just yards from fire station". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b Carrington, Damian (19 July 2022). "Day of 40C shocks scientists as UK heat record 'absolutely obliterated'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b Beament, Emily. "Blazes a 'wake-up call' on climate change, firefighters warn after record heat". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  9. ^ Palange, Alessandra (29 July 2022). "Opinion: My uncle's house burned down in the heatwave – so I made this vow". The Independent. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  10. ^ a b Blackett, Matthew (20 July 2022). "Wildfires are becoming more common in the UK – but the threat can be managed". The Conversation. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  11. ^ a b Elliott, Suzanne (20 July 2022). "Why we will see more devastating wildfires in the UK and how they start". ITV News. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b Blakeley, Rhys (21 July 2022). "Wennington fire: UK needs to increase public awareness of safety". The Times. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Luckhurst, Phoebe. "'I've never seen devastation like it' — life after Britain's summer wildfires". The Times. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Bengoechea, Isabella (19 July 2022). "'I've lost everything, it's all gone', says Wennington resident after fire ripped through homes". i-News. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b Grierson, Jamie (19 July 2022). "UK has hottest night on record as temperatures forecast to hit 40C". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  16. ^ Met Office (28 July 2022). "Record high temperatures verified". Met Office. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Wennington fire: Aftermath pictured from the air day after blaze wrecked London village's homes". ITV News. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  18. ^ Lynch, Ben. "Wennington fire: Government support sought as council continues to work with residents". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  19. ^ a b Glancy, Josh; Spencer, Ben. "Why tinderbox Britain should stay on red alert". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  20. ^ "Wennington blaze firefighter: 'We had no chance, we were completely understaffed'". LBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  21. ^ Martin, Francis. "Fire-threatened church in Wennington had just celebrated repairs after a flood". Church Times. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  22. ^ Bazaraa, Danya (20 July 2022). "Devastated homeowners flee heatwave inferno with just the clothes on their backs". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  23. ^ Bartholemew, Emma. "Mother of three's home 'gone within minutes' as fire ripped through village". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  24. ^ "Mum-of-three has nearly nothing left after fire destroys home on UK's hottest day". Sky News. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  25. ^ Wood, Poppy; Francis, Alannah (19 July 2022). "'I've lost everything, it's all gone', says Wennington resident after fire ripped through homes". i. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  26. ^ Brown, David; Wace, Charlotte; Mitib, Ali. "Wennington fire: Church left undamaged amid smouldering ruins". The Times. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  27. ^ Hol-Allen, Genevieve (21 July 2022). "Scale of fires across London during heatwave unprecedented, says brigade chief". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Professor Guillermo Rein". Imperial College London. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  29. ^ Bennett, Rory (19 July 2022). "The UK might face wildfires like Southern Europe in years to come, expert warns". MyLondon. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Dr Rory Hadden School of Engineering". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  31. ^ "Professor Nigel Arnell". University of Reading. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  32. ^ Idris, Arike. "'They lost everything': The Essex village destroyed by wildfire still trying to recover six months later". Essex Live. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  33. ^ Brookes, Andrew. "Crews called to grass fire near Wennington". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  34. ^ Lynch, Ben. "Several hectares of Rainham grassland destroyed in fire". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  35. ^ Mellor, Josh (7 September 2022). "Tory trio defect to Havering Residents Association". Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
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