A number of massive fires have broken out across the United Kingdom amid tinder-dry conditions and unprecedented heat. An official drought has been declared in eight areas of southern and central England with several grasslands catching fire.
It comes as the summer has been the driest in half a century. Five fire engines and about 35 firefighters have been tackling a two-hectare grass fire on Whipps Cross Road in Leytonstone, Waltham Forest.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews have been captured beating back the flames at the scene of the blaze at the Leyton Flats wildlife reserve in east London. The service has also warned of a blaze in Merton, in the south east of the capital, where four engines and about 25 firefighters have been deployed.
