For the 300 residents of a quiet, rural village on the edge of East London, July 19, 2022, began much like any other summer’s day.
David Biles, 68, pottered in his Mediterranean-style garden dubbed “his little slice of Spain”, complete with a swimming pool and bar he built himself at 1 Marine Cottages.
Down the terrace at number 5, Lynn Sabberton was at home having breakfast with her partner.
By 10am temperatures had exceeded 35C in the capital, soaring to 40.3C hours later, the country’s hottest day on record.
Wildfires broke out across tinder-dry Britain leaving firefighters battling in the heatwave.
It was the busiest day for the London Fire Brigade since the Second World War.
But it was the Blitz-like destruction of Wennington as an inferno tore through that has come to define that unprecedented heatwave – a stark warning for other communities.
In total, 19 homes were destroyed along with garages, stables and cars. Had the fire broken out while the village was sleeping, it would have claimed many lives, too.
Six months on, the trauma is raw, with many residents still too distressed to speak.
Breaking down in tears outside the shell of her cottage, Lynn tells me how her cat Jag died in the fire.
“There was a knock on the door and we were told to leave immediately,” she said. “I left with only the clothes I was wearing. I didn’t even have time to get my partner’s medication or inhaler. I’m not worried about clothes. They can be replaced. But pets, they are like family. I was devastated. He was such a lovely cat.”
She is staying at Lennards pub, where she works, while her home of 18 years is rebuilt. Lynn, in her 70s, has been told by her insurance company it should be finished in 2024.
Others aren’t as lucky with one family of four living in one room at a nearby hostel, while a couple say they are too traumatised to return.
David and Roberta Biles’ refurbished post office emerged undamaged although much of their beloved garden was destroyed. The retired surveyor urged the Government to install firebreaks where homes back on to fields to stop another tragedy.
He said: “The fire engine was in Upminster at the time due to a large fire there. By the time it returned, it was too late.”
Jon Cruddas, the local Labour MP, called it a “stark reminder of how thin on the ground the fire services are.”
David added: “Families’ lives have been turned upside down but so could other communities. We must take precautions to stop more homes being destroyed.”
