Large parts of Europe suffered a pressing heat wave on Tuesday with unprecedented highs in some places: in the southwest of England, for example, the thermometers showed record values of around 40 degrees Celsius, according to the British weather service. The mega heat caused hundreds of fires, including in and around London. A bushfire along the highway in Dartford, east of the capital, set off huge clouds of smoke (see video below).
Several fires broke out in Greater London, some of which burned large patches of sunlit grass, which then spread to residential areas. Television images showed huge plumes of smoke and burned-out houses. Several houses and fields were also destroyed in Wennington, also east of London. About 100 firefighters and 15 fire trucks were deployed to fight the fire in the city, about 30 kilometers from the metropolis.
Grass fires were also reported from several suburbs of the capital. In the Croydon area alone, there were two fires involving dozens of firefighters. A restaurant caught fire in the Southgate area of north London. Fires also broke out in Upminster, Dagenham and other parts of the city. Firefighters have also fought hundreds of fires in other parts of the country.
Do not leave glass bottles or shards on the floor
Firefighters have declared an emergency level in light of the fires amid today’s record heat wave, allowing more resources to be devoted to emergency services. Mayor Sadiq Khan said there had been a “huge wave” of the fires, putting “enormous pressure” on firefighters. Firefighters insisted that only emergencies be called, no campfires or grills should be lit, cigarettes should be disposed of safely, and glass bottles or broken glass should not be left on the floor.
More than 40 degrees was measured at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday for the first time since the measurements in Great Britain. Shortly before that, a British heat record of 39.1 degrees was set in Charlwood, Surrey, England – but that lasted just over an hour. In Coningsby in the eastern England county of Lincolnshire, 40.3 degrees were measured in the afternoon, according to preliminary data from the Met Office weather service. 40.2 degrees Celsius was measured at Heathrow Airport and in St. James’ Park in the government district.
Local transport “just not suitable for such temperatures”
In the UK, where a heat emergency was declared early this week, record temperatures led to restrictions on local and long-haul transport. “Our infrastructure, much of it dating back to the Victorian era, is just not suited to these kinds of temperatures,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The day before, London’s Luton airport had been shut down due to runway overheating. Train services were thinned out or discontinued due to the risk of track distortion.
Hoping for an easing of the situation in particularly affected countries
According to meteorologists, the heat wave is now moving towards northeastern regions of Europe. In the particularly affected regions of the continent’s southwest, this could bring the long-awaited easing. The blistering heat had caused devastating wildfires, especially in France, Portugal and Spain. More than a thousand people died after a heat collapse and tens of thousands had to be evacuated from their homes.
In Austria, a preliminary heat peak is only expected in the coming days. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Tyrolean municipality of Imst reached today’s peak of 35 degrees, the ZAMG announced. The temperatures stayed far away from the Austrian record. This is 40.5 degrees, measured in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg (Lower Austria) on August 8, 2013.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
