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 told the PA news agency. “So he was in there trying to help them get out as much as they could; they’ve got quite a few pets and stuff.
