A fire service in the East Midlands has recorded its busiest week in at least 13 years, after attending close to 200 blazes in the space of a week.
As temperatures soared to 31C in Derbyshire over the weekend, local firefighters revealed they attended a whopping 187 fires from August 8 to August 14.
It is the highest weekly total since Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service began recording incidents online back in 2009.
Crews were called to 80 fires over the last three days alone, including 33 on Saturday (August 13).
There are now weather warning for thunderstorms across the UK as temperatures begin to drop once more.
But experts said there was still a risk of fire in areas where "everywhere is still tinder dry".
It comes as the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service's resources were stretched thin over the weekend.
A major incident was declared on Friday afternoon (August 12), when 50 homes were evacuated as a fire erupted through a wooded area and some farmland.
Meanwhile, scenes at a field near the University of Derby's Markeaton Campus were likened to Chernobyl.
Horrified onlookers watched on as ash and cinders fell from the sky after a blaze ripped through the dry grass.
Eyewitness Jack Stokes, 20, told the Derby Telegraph : "It just like snowballed out of nowhere.
"It started off in the left side of the field and then, in the space of about five minutes all of the field was ablaze."
The film and production student continued: "I'd say the field was about half the size of a football pitch.
"I showed up and it was instantly like charcoal and debris falling from the air.
"It was like that show Chernobyl, it was insane."
A spokesperson for the Derbyshire Fire Brigade said: "Our firefighters have worked tirelessly to respond to the grass fires, reports of barbecues in the open, garden fires that have got out of control, hay and barn fires, and crop fires in our county."
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