Police officer flees as fireball erupts in east London wildfire

A fire sparked first in the afternoon before erupting in flames for a second time on the same spot when firefighters left.

Nathan Long,29,was getting ready for bed when he saw smoke billowing over his garden fence at 10.30pm.

He told Metro: ‘We could only use our feet and some blankets. We were terrified it would reach our houses. The flames were so hot.

Locals in the area said they were forced to intervene to try and stop the fire

‘We tried to make a fire break before it spread but we couldn’t do it quickly enough.

‘Me and my friend were doing our best before police arrived and pulled us out to safety when the fire brigade finally turned up.’

He added: ‘I’m not sure how it started it could be kids mucking about. But it came so close to disaster.’

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said: ‘We were called at 2.20pm yesterday (1 July) to reports of a fire on Whitehall Lane In Erith.

‘Firefighters attended and discovered around half a hectare of grassland,bushes and shrubland alight,which was safely extinguished. One fire engine from Erith Fire Station attended the scene.

‘Three fire engines were called at 10.51pm yesterday (1 July) to a fire in a field on Whitehall Lane in Erith. Around three hectares was alight.’

Fires could be seen engulfing a piece of land by the houses

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said there had been 17 wildfires in 2025 and urged the public to call 999 as soon as they spot one.

Incident Commander Neil Guyett said of the Rainham fire: ‘Initial crews adopted aggressive firefighting tactics to ensure the fire did not spread to nearby homes.

‘They did this by dampening the perimeter of the field to create a natural fire break and their hard work and actions prevented damage to any properties.

‘This incident highlights the real challenges London faces in that so many green spaces lie close to properties.

‘After such a dry spring and the threat of further heatwaves this summer,it’s vital landowners and local authorities manage their land and create fire breaks,such as ploughing or cutting grass,to help protect communities from wildfires.’

The hot weather has been a bit too much for some people this week (Picture: EPA)

UK temperatures skyrocketed yesterday with a temperature of 33.6°C recorded at around 11.19am in Frittenden,Kent.

The heatwave will dissipate by later this week,when showers move in across part of the country – a welcome relief.

Wildfires have killed two people in Spain and two others have died in France because of a heatwave that has gripped Europe with Spain,Portugal,Greece and France all being issued extreme heat,wildfire and health warnings.

Several Italian regions,including Sicily and Liguria,have introduced bans on outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day.