Villagers 'sought sanctuary in church' as wildfire tore through homes

2022-07-21

‘It was like the Blitz’: Soot-covered villagers cowered in a medieval church as flames ravaged their homes on hottest day of the year – as video reveals the distant blaze that would see them ‘lose everything’

At least 19 homes were destroyed in Wennington, east London, as fire tore through the village on Tuesday
Residents have revealed how they sought sanctuary in a medieval church as blaze tore through the village
As many as 63 properties were destroyed across UK on Tuesday, including 14 in Dagenham, due to wildfires
Six houses were devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire and eight destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham

Soot-covered villagers sought sanctuary in a medieval church as blazing wildfires ravaged their homes on the hottest day in UK history, it was today revealed.

Residents in Wennington, east London, say they took shelter in St Mary and St Peter’s Church as the advancing inferno tore through the village.

The grade II listed medieval parish church was left undamaged in the blaze. Pictures show the stone building untouched – in sharp contrast to the blackened grass surrounding it.

It comes as new video shows the fire advancing on the village from the surrounding countryside. The inferno was pushed towards the village by warm winds amid Tuesday’s record-breaking 40.3C heatwave.

Despite the best efforts of 100 firefighters, as many as 19 homes in the village were gutted by the fire, with some families later revealing how they ‘lost everything’ in the blaze.

The Wennington fire was the most destructive of a number of major incidents on Tuesday, which saw as many as 63 properties destroyed across the UK, including 14 in nearby Dagenham.

Outside of London, six houses were devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Another eight properties were destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham, and three in nearby Kiveton Park, as well as three in Clayton, West Yorkshire.

With the clean-up now underway, one resident in Wennington has given his account of the devastating wildfire.

Tim Stock, 66, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.

He said he managed to get everyone into the church only for that to fill up with smoke. And he described the village as looking like ‘The Blitz’ following Tuesday’s fire.

WENNINGTON: Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter’s Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno

WENNINGTON: Tim Stock (pictured here with wife Maggie) whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour’s garden but had been unable to stop it spreading

WENNINGTON: The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise. Pictured: The Stock’s house after it was destroyed by fire

WENNINGTON: New video shows the wildfire on the outskirts of the village. Strong warm winds on Tuesday, when temperatures hit 40.3C in the UK, drove fire towards the village. At least 19 homes have been destroyed in Wennington

WENNINGTON: Video shows the fire in the distance, minutes before it swept through the village. Pictured: Smoke rises high into the air as the wildfire sweeps towards Wennington

Speaking about how villagers huddled into the church during the fire, he said: ‘We opened up the church because I have the keys, we got everyone in, people were covered in soot, they were having a drink of water, but then that started filling up with smoke so we had to get everyone out again.

‘I’m surprised it didn’t burn down as well to be honest. The fire started across the cornfield, at one point I got stuck behind the cordon and the field was burning so I couldn’t get out that way.’

Mr Stock, whose house burned down in the fire, said: ‘I lost everything. The house, the garden, we had two beehives, there was no going back.

Where were properties destroyed by Tuesday’s wildfire?

• Wennington (East London) – 19

• Dagenham (East London) – 14

• Chadwell Heath (East London) – 1

• Kenton (North West London) – 2

• Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk) – 5

• Ashmanhaugh (Norfolk) – 2

• Kiveton Park (South Yorkshire) – 3

• Barnsley (South Yorkshire) – 6

• Maltby (South Yorkshire) – 8

• Clayton (South Yorkshire) – 3

‘My son took some stuff and went round to his mate’s house but about 10 minutes later that burnt down two/three hundred yards away so he has got nothing either.

‘I’ve been a gravedigger for 50 years. My truck has blown up, that belonged to the council. I didn’t have time to get it out.’

Mr Stock and his family have been staying in a hotel since the fire destroyed their home. He said: ‘The council was trying to put us up in people’s houses but we’ve got two dogs and my tortoise Malty.’

He later told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘It’s heartbreaking really. I mean, I’ve been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we’ve been there 60-odd years,’

‘And to see it all fall apart, it’s really sad. But as I said, we’ll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we’ll start again.’

Describing the remains of the village, Mr Stock added: ‘It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs had caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.’

It comes as families have revealed how their lives have been turned upside-down by the devastating wildfires which ripped through parts of England on the hottest day in UK history.

As many as 41 homes were destroyed across London on Tuesday – nearly half of which were gutted in Wennington alone.

Local officials believe 19 properties were destroyed in the grass blaze, including two detached houses, two semi-detached houses, two rows of terraced houses, two outbuildings, six single-storey garages, 12 stables – as well as five cars.

Another 14 homes and 25 vehicles were destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, while six have been left charred after a fire in Barnsley which is believed to have started in a garden shed.

Drone footage also shows firefighters battling back against a wildfire as it advanced on properties in Brancaster Staithe near Watton in Norfolk. At least five homes are thought to have been destroyed.

Families caught up in the devastation have since spoken about the moment they noticed the inferno sweeping towards them.

Some revealed how they rescued their pets, while others attempted to dig trenches in a desperate bid to stop the advancing wall of fire.

And one family told MailOnline how they fear that their dream £700,000 home has been left uninhabitable following a wildfire blaze.

BARNSLEY: Craig Benbrick and his partner Andrea Parmenter comfort each other after losing their home to the fire

BARNSLEY: A row of homes destroyed by fire in Woodland Drive, Barnsley stand as empty shells

WENNINGTON: Teru Akinfe, 54 and his wife Funke, 50 are among 20 families that have been left homeless by Wennington fire

WENNINGTON: More than a dozen families have been left homeless after a fire tore through the small village of Wennington, on the outskirts of east London, on Tuesday amid the UK’s record breaking 40C heatwave

BARNSLEY: Father and daughter Emily Hanson, 18, and Jason Saville, 48, managed to save their property by dousing their garden in water from their paddling pool in the early hours of the morning

BARNSLEY: At least six homes have been left charred after a fire in Barnsley, which is believed to have started from a garden shed

WATTON: Drone footage also shows firefighters battling back against a wildfire as it advanced on properties in Brancaster Staithe near Watton in Norfolk. At least five homes are thought to have been destroyed

DAGENHAM: At least 14 properties and 25 cars are said to have been damaged during wildfires in Dagenham

Teru Akinfe, 54 and his wife Funke, 50 are among 20 families that have been left homeless by Wennington fire.

The couple have been briefed by the fire brigade and assured that their home is not among the 19 properties but were warned to ‘expect the worst’ with the fire causing possible structural damage to their semi-detached home, severe smoke damage and destroying their garden shed.

Fire chiefs warn public must prepare for more wildfires in years to come and says Tuesday’s incidents should be a climate change ‘wake-up call’

The outbreak of hundreds of fires amid the new record temperature of 40.3C on Tuesday has been labelled as the new normal for the UK as Britain expects more heatwaves in the coming years.

Firefighters have warned the public that wildfires will likely break out every three years as they said the destruction of homes should be a ‘wake-up call’ to the country.

Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said Monday and Tuesday were a ‘game changer’ and explained that fires are spreading quicker than ever before due to high temperatures.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: ‘[Tuesday’s] fires are another example of how 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.’

Bosses at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which came close to calling a major incident, warned the situation across the country on Tuesday would not be a one-off and the UK needed to ‘get prepared’.

West Yorkshire Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: ‘[Tuesday] was a game changer and took us to a completely new level. Fires were spreading much more quickly than ever before.’

He said that usually when a big fire happened, it was possible to call on neighbouring services to help, but on Tuesday ‘everyone was busy and completely stacked out’.

‘The predictions are we will get heatwaves like this much more regularly, even as much as every three years, due to climate change.

‘This is very different position we are in now compared to a one-off event nearly 50 years ago, and we need to see this as a wake-up call.

‘We need to learn how we get prepared as a country for this and how we rethink the resource we have or need, going forward, so we are ready for these, so homes, property and ultimately people’s lives are saved,’ he warned.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to more than 60 incidents, 38 of which were fires in the open, describing the situation as ‘unprecedented’.

Mr Akinfe told MailOnline: ‘We are among the lucky ones because our home has not been completely destroyed but we are bracing ourselves for the worst. We don’t know what kind of condition it’s in but the fire brigade has told us that it’s not good.

‘We don’t know when we’ll be able to go back to live in it. This fire has completely turned our lives upside down.

‘Everything we own is in that house, which we worked very hard to buy. But there’s nothing we can do about it and we’re doing our best to cope.’

Funke, who works for the Post Office revealed how she was working from home on Tuesday afternoon and joined with neighbours to try and put the fire out.

She said: ‘It was very warm, all the windows in the house were open and I started smelling smoke. I rushed out and saw flames and the neighbours panicking. I got my hose pipe out and we all got together to try and put it out.

‘But there was absolutely nothing we could do. Despite our best efforts, the fire was getting stronger and stronger.’

The fire is believed to have started in a field which backs onto the home of one of the Akinfes neighbours, which has been completely destroyed. It then rapidly spread towards the historic village which features in the Domesday Book.

Funke added: ‘All four homes to the left of our property have been completely destroyed. We live in a very friendly, close-knit community and know each other well. My heart is broken for my friends and neighbours who have lost everything. We are the lucky ones.’

The couple and some of their fellow residents are being taken to the village by officials on Wednesday evening so that they can see for themselves the state of their homes following the horrific blaze.

Mr Akinfe, who works as a manager for a parcel delivery service said: ‘We really don’t know what to expect. We are living a nightmare, it’s crazy.’

The couple purchased their home, which is located on Wennington’s main green, 16 years ago.

Ms Akinfe cried: ‘It’s a beautiful, large home and our palace. We’ve got four bedrooms and three reception rooms and a huge garden. We have created a lot of wonderful memories in this home, and I just want to go back to live in it but don’t know when that will be possible.’

Meanwhile, Tim Stock’s son Alfie yesterday revealed how he battled to save his childhood home with a hosepipe.

He added: ‘I was just getting ready to go out and my brother came in and told me he could smell some smoke.

‘It was just a pile of grass, it was nothing. By the time we got the hosepipe through the wind picked up and the embers from that little pile of grass spread to all the trees.

‘Within five minutes, their house was on fire. We were trying to hose down their lean-to roof to try and stop it spreading to our house as best we could. It went from there.’

William Reitz, 26, who has lived in Kent View on Wennington Road for nine years said: ‘I’m so worried about our possessions, my photos, my nan and grandad’s ashes, if they are gone, you can’t get them back.

‘I got out just in time as the flames got closer. I’ve never seen a fire so close to home, it was about 20ft away. I saw the flames come over the fence and then I ran out the house… I was scared.

‘I grabbed everything, got my mum and my dad and we all ran out of the house.’ I don’t know what’s happening, I’ve got to wait and see what has happened. I feel terrible, I feel stressed.’

Another local, Ray Smith, 55, told the Sun: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. I got in my car and got out of there. People were scared. It’s heartbreaking. I think I’ve lost everything.’

WENNINGTON: A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday

WENNINGTON: Riminta Maceikaite, 38 and her son Nikas Janulevicius, 13, who said their neighbours’ homes were burned down but as far as they can see from TV aerial shots, their house is still standing

WENNINGTON: Lorry Driver Gary Rouel, 64, whose home has been destroyed in the blaze

WENNINGTON: Two detached houses, two semi-detached houses, two rows of terraced houses, two outbuildings, six single-storey garages, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the blaze

WENNINGTON: Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain’s hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex)

WENNINGTON: Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as ‘absolute hell.’ (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday’s inferno)

WENNINGTON: Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday

WENNINGTON: Firefighters are pictured dampening the flames in Wennington early on Wednesday morning, as warnings for fires remained in place due to the dry conditions

WENNINGTON: Two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the inferno in Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London. Pictured: A sliding image showing the devastation after the fire (left) and the village before the fire (right)

WENNINGTON: The chard remains of homes in the village of Wennington following the devastating fire which swept through on Tuesday as Britain hit 40C for the first time

WENNINGTON: The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene

WENNINGTON: Firefighters fought in vain to stop the fire rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field

Animal carers were among volunteers dealing with aftermath of Wennington wildfire

Animal carers were among volunteers dealing with the aftermath of the devastating Wennington inferno.

Two detached houses, two semi-detached houses, two rows of terraced houses, two outbuildings, six single-storey garages, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the blaze on Britain’s hottest ever day. Another detached property was badly damaged.

Leandra Winch, 36, who lives locally, works for the animal rescue organisation Pippa’s Army.

She said: ‘We are waiting for the wildlife police officer to let us in.

‘He has just taken a tortoise to Essex Wildlife Hospital that was suffering from smoke inhalation.

‘There are quite a few pets that could have perished or could be still there.

‘We have already helped people with tortoises, parrots, dogs, small animals and we know there are cats.

‘The dogs aren’t too bad; if you call they come, but the cats get scared and hide.

‘There were a lot of small animals and horses taken to the scrapyard because the Fire Brigade were collecting them when they found them, but they have been taken back to their owners now.

‘Harrow Lodge was where a lot of people were taken last night with donations of food, clothes, stuff like that.’

She said that they are looking specifically for a white Staffordshire bull terrier called Daisy.

Ms Winch addeed: ‘The owner lost his wife from Covid last year and another family member a week ago and now his home and dog.’

They are also looking for a small grey kitten and a sausage dog called Jupis.

She added: ‘We get a lot of heartbreak with the rescue and see a lot of horrible things but this is different.

‘We have dealt with house fires but nothing like this. People aren’t used to it, this is not a country that has natural disasters.’

Arni Vaughn, 45, a science teacher said he has lost everything.

He added: ‘I have four kids, my dogs, a cat, a tortoise.

‘My house is completely gone. I’m numb to it now.

‘I came home from work, left early, got home about two and saw four fire engines and a fire burning out the back of the fire station and on The Green.

‘I thought that’s terrible. I went upstairs and closed the windows and then I saw the fire was spreading over towards us.

‘It was in the next-door neighbour’s garden, so we got out with what we had in our bags, took the dogs out the back, drove off and as I was driving out I could feel the flames coming over me.

‘My wife and kids are at the travel lodge but they won’t let the dogs in so I don’t have anywhere to stay.

‘We’ve lost everything. We are screwed because we were renting. I was waiting to get a mortgage.

‘Our insurance is trying to find us a temporary holiday home but I don’t know what to do, we have lost 24 years of memories.’

Carole Stopp, 69, who has lived in Wennington Green for more than 35 years, also rescued her tortoise Cleo – who is 60 years old in human years – from the blaze.

She told the Telegraph: ‘Thick black smoke started rising at about 1pm.

‘I said: “Oh my god” and looked out the window. Our neighbour Tim’s front garden was on fire. We rang to see if he was ok. Tim was trying to put the fire out himself with a hose.

‘Then we heard some large bangs – we think it must have been windows imploding because of the heat. We just grabbed the tortoise and left.’

While some families managed to rescue their pets, others who didn’t are in fear of their safety.

Gary Ruel, 63, a lorry driver who was evacuated from his home, told the paper: ‘I’m really worried about my house. I might have lost three cats, I got the dog out, but didn’t have time for the cats.’

‘It’s terrible. I’ve just finished paying off the mortgage two months ago. It’s heartbreaking.

‘My wife has [the lung condition] COPD and the fireman was just telling her “Get out, get out!”.’

The couple’s son William, 33, who lives in Halstead, Essex said: ‘My mum sent me a picture of the fire outside the home from the bathroom. She was still in there when it was coming up to the house.

‘It started in the field, then came into the garden, then it was up to the decking and the conservatory. We think the neighbour’s house has gone too. It’s awful, I watched on TV as the house went up in flames.’

Neighbour Kia Meadows described how quickly things went ablaze. She told BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: ‘I was sunbathing in my garden when a massive black cloud’s come across, I looked up and that side of Wennington was on fire and within an hour it had spread to our house.

‘A lot of this land is built on a lot of rubbish and as soon as the heat comes, this area goes on fire straight away but never did I believe it would come that close.’

Meanwhile, friends of those affected yesterday revealed how one woman fled her burning home in scorched Wennington with just her photo album, a cat and her dead grandfather’s ashes.

Two of her cats are still missing following the massive fire which she said might have started in a compost bin next door to her.

The story emerged as a friend, who would not give his name, returned to the village to look for her cats. He said he was looking after two people who had lost their homes.

He said: ‘I just came down to look for the cats of two friends who are staying at mine in Upminster.

‘I heard the scrapyard was looking after pets but I haven’t seen the cats and the police aren’t letting anyone through.

‘The fire, it was next door to their house, and she seems to think it came from a compost bin. She said it enveloped the treeline.

‘She tried to get her cats out, one jumped out of her hand, the other she got in a box and the other ran off. It scratched her hand it was so frightened.

‘She was evacuated to the Windmill pub but luckily I’m local so I phoned them up when I heard and they came to stay with me in Upminster.

‘They are more concerned about the cats than the rest of it. They’re in shock but there are little bits coming back to them.

‘She lost her father last year and she picked up her photo albums on the way out and his ashes.

‘Otherwise it’s all gone, everything. They’ve got two vehicles and they are not even letting them go in to get them, a van on The Green and a Porsche outside someone’s house. At least if they get them they are mobile.’

BARNSLEY: Craig Benbrick and his partner Andrea Parmenter comfort each other after losing their home to the fire

BARNSLEY: A house fire started on Tuesday in Barnsley, South Yorks, which left the houses completely gutted

BARNSLEY: Carl Fox, 43, who lives behind the house which caught fire first. A house fire started on Tuesday in Barnsley, South Yorks, which left the houses completely gutted

BARNSLEY: The remains of a property in Barnsley after a fire broke out in a back garden and spread to homes – destroying four properties

BARNSLEY: Six homes were destroyed in a residential area of Barnsley after a fire erupted on Tuesday during the 40C heat

Amid the scramble to evacuate people from Wennington on Tuesday, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was ‘digging a trench’ around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.

Residents battled wildfire with hosepipes and buckets of water while they waited for arrival of firefighters

Six houses were devastated when a fire broke out in a back garden and swept through nearby properties in Barnsley.

Residents described how they battled the flames with hosepipes for 45 minutes until fire crews arrived in a desperate attempt to stop the blaze spreading to more homes.

Jason Saville, who only returned from Tenerife on Monday, said he and his neighbours used a hose and buckets of water to beat back the flames despite pleas from police to leave the area.

Mr Saville said the first house was engulfed in flames within 20 minutes.

He said: ‘The police kept telling me to leave but I wouldn’t leave until I knew my property was safe.’

And he added: ‘A lot of the community came together and tried to help but we couldn’t save those houses there because it was too much.’

Mr Saville said: ‘If the wind has been blowing the other way we would have had it.’

He said those who lost their house were all safe but one family was still looking for their cat.

Carl Fox lives only a few feet from where the fire started and he told how his house only missed being caught in the flames by a few minutes.

Mr Fox said: ‘I got a call on my video doorbell to say my fence was on fire, so I came back from work to find some lads in the garden fighting the fire with a hose pipe.

‘It started next to the fence with a shed and it all just went up.

‘The wind blew it up on to the houses and this is what we see now.

‘If the guys had not lifted that fence panel out to use the hose pipes in the garden – that probably gave us another five or 10 minutes otherwise the whole house would have been up.

‘It would have just carried on going – our house would have taken up and next door too.’

Mr Fox said his house suffered some minor smoke damage and he lost everything from his garden.

With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes.

Local councillor Susan Ospreay said: ‘Wennington Village has been completely devastated by fire.’

Meanwhile, Ray Morgan, Leader of Havering Council told MailOnline: ‘The village is still sealed off and the Fire Brigade is currently carrying out an assessment.

‘Sadly, a number of homes will have to be demolished. Some of these are very historic buildings that have been damaged beyond repair.’

He added: ‘All the residents have been evacuated and are either in temporary accommodation provided by the Council or staying with relatives. We are all working extremely hard to make sure they are cared for.’

The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.

Distressed residents could be seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered. Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub.

Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub. As the blaze drew nearer, police evacuated the building.

Landlord Walter Martin, 60, said: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s awful. People are devastated.’ Pensioner Lynn Sabberton said: ‘The police came to our house and told us to get what we could.’

Brian Brazier, 75, added: ‘The fire has burnt my stables out. It started as a little fire around the back of the houses and if someone had been there to put it out we wouldn’t have had all this trouble.’

Resident Janet Hickey, 70, who has terminal pancreatic cancer, said she was forced to leave all her cancer drugs behind as they were evacuated. She said: ‘I’ve got all my cancer drugs in the fridge.’

As buildings surrounding the Grade II-listed medieval St Mary and St Peter’s Church caught fire, vicar Rev Elise Peterson called for people to pray for the community.

Meanwhile, a firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what conditions were like, replied: ‘absolute hell’, while those affected by the blaze said it had been spreading ‘fast’.

Wennington resident, Lynn Sabberton, who said she was evacuated from her home with her partner who has a lung difficulty, told Sky News: ‘We thought it was one of the fields that caught alight over the back of us.

‘But then a neighbour rang me and said, ‘oh no, it’s on the green, the green has caught fire’. I saw the black smoke and the helicopters came over and more police came into our neighbourhood and it was really spreading very fast.

‘It just spread so quickly, I think the wind caused the fire to go our way towards the village.’

Lizzie Pittman, from Aveley in Essex, who works at some stables by the roundabout, said she was looking after the five horses who had been removed from their stables in Wennington, which had burnt down.

Ms Pittman said: ‘This is your worst nightmare. You can see it getting closer and closer. People are losing their houses but that’s bricks and mortar. People are losing their livestock.’

BARNSLEY: Jason Saville, who only returned from Tenerife on Monday, said he and his neighbours used a hose and buckets of water to beat back the flames despite pleas from police to leave the area

BARNSLEY: The scene after a blaze in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, after temperatures topped 40C in the UK for the first time ever

BARNSLEY: A house fire started on Tuesday in Barnsley, South Yorks, which left the houses completely gutted

Meanwhile, six houses were devastated when a fire broke out in a back garden and swept through nearby properties in Barnsley.

Mother of three says her home was gone ‘within two minutes’ after fire ripped through village

A mother of three has told how her home was gone ‘within two minutes’ of a fire hitting a nearby field as the blaze engulfed an east London village.

Claire Taylor, 40, lost all but her grandfather’s ashes, some photos and clothes when Wennington went up in flames on Tuesday as the UK experienced its hottest temperature on record.

Her family was one of around 90 to be evacuated in Havering as tinder-dry conditions saw devastating fires break out in grassland before tearing through rows of houses.

Residents sought to rescue pets and salvage belongings but some were forced to flee largely empty-handed.

‘My husband was on his way back to work and could see the fire was close to us… as he got closer he actually noticed one of our friends… their house went up,’ Ms Taylor said.

‘So he was in there trying to help them get out as much as they can; they’ve got quite a few pets and stuff.

‘Within half an hour they were in our house trying to grab as much as they could but (then) the fire crossed the road… within two minutes of it hitting the field our house was gone.’

Ms Taylor, 40, who works in a charity shop, said residents who had lost their homes were still in shock but ‘trying to muddle through’.

Although the devastation is still ‘raw’ her focus has turned to collecting donations and helping children affected by the fire, she said.

Her family – including her own sons, Charlie, Alfie and Louie, aged eight, six and one respectively – stayed with loved ones on Tuesday evening before heading to school on Wednesday for the last day of term.

‘This should be the start of the six weeks’ holiday. It should be all exciting,’ she said.

‘We know we’re not the only ones in that situation, so if I can try and get some awareness out there – to let them know there is somewhere they can take stuff, like cots and buggies, to make someone’s life a little bit easier, to put a smile of their little kiddies’ faces – that would mean the world to me.’

Donations can be made at the KidEco shop at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Grays or to Baby Bank HQ.