Major incident declared across London after 'huge surge' in fires and homes destroyed on UK's hottest-ever day

news.sky.com ^ | 20 July 2022 | SKY News

[Berlin_Freeper]

Firefighters tackling blazes which have ripped through homes and buildings in London have described the conditions as "absolute hell" on what is the UK's hottest day on record.

Residents were evacuated, people were taken to hospital and a major incident was declared by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) which was "under immense pressure" after a "huge surge" in blazes across the capital as temperatures topped 40C (104F) for the first time.

[maddog55]

Hot days don’t cause fires.

[Winniesboy]

I’d be pleased to see your evidence that 100°+ was ever confirmed by a recognised weather station in the UK before 25th July 2019, when 38.7C (101.6F) was recorded at Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

Apologies - memory playing tricks. Correction - The first observation to top 100° was in Faversham, Kent in 2003 (38.5C). The Cambridge observation was the highest before yesterday.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

When the data is against you, you change the data.

That’s how it’s done.

[ifinnegan]

In 1915 or so it hit 98°.

No way that’s not within margin of error compared to today.

[ifinnegan]

You seem to be of the opinion it means something, eg confirms global warming etc...

If I’m wrong, say so.

[mowowie]

Reminds me of the week I spent in upstate Vermont...

[metmom]

Nope, someone started them all and it’s just a matter of figuring out who.

[Winniesboy]

You’re reading more into my posts than I intended or implied. I made, and make, no comment about any relationship with long-term climate trends. My observations are restricted to confirmed records in the modern (century-scale) era.

[butlerweave]

A firefighter friend of mine said Friday they get a lot of calls , people get paid ,get drunk and then decide to cook something on the stove and forget about then bingo a fire

[Wuli]

“homes destroyed on UK’s hottest-ever day” in modern record keeping

[Churchillspirit]

Logic and facts at last!

[Churchillspirit]

The readings are taken at 10a.m. daily. Fires started later.

I was watching Sky News when a small brush fire escalated and engulfed several homes in London.

[ridesthemiles]

I have never lived in a home with air conditioning.

NOW 82...still trucking

Local temps over 100 for past week & forecast == 100+ for next 8 days

[Winniesboy]

Turns out that the Wennington fire (possibly the one you saw) started with the spontaneous combustion of a garden compost heap!

[SpaceBar]

It’s the will of Allah.

[Churchillspirit]

Yep. That's the one.

My Dad was a keen gardener so there was always a decent compost heap around. Although never a fire risk in Northumberland!

[BlackVeil]

It has now cooled off in London - max temperatures back around 26c, and it is raining. But the media don’t bother to report that.

[ifinnegan]

Thanks.

It’s Orwellian propaganda with a nefarious purpose.

[Winniesboy]

The Met Office has now produced a detailed statistical summary of the events of July 18/19, which gives a clearer picture of the immediate causes, the extent of anomalies across the UK, the chronological relationship with previous recorded extremes, and other detailed data.

Met Office post event report