Moment huge flames engulf London railway line as heatwave raises wildfires risk with firefighters tackling infernos across Britain

After a huge fire broke out next to a railway line in London last night, houses were engulfed in flames, residents were evacuated and trains were stopped.

Approximately 125 firefighters and 20 fire trucks responded to the fire as the flames spread to the gardens and outbuildings of 30 properties in Walthamstow.

London Fire Brigade received 120 emergency calls after a fire broke out on the railway embankment and several structures close to the line at 6.30pm.

Fire crews managed to cool 10 dangerous gas cylinders in the properties to prevent them from exploding, and the fire was taken under control at 22.30.

The Overground’s Weaver line was partially suspended last night and Transport for London confirmed there will be no trains between Hackney Downs and Chingford throughout today while engineers carry out urgent repairs to the track.

The fire broke out near Vallentin Road and Shernhall Street and nearby residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed due to heavy smoke.

Two recreation centers were established for evacuated residents. While there were no injuries, the cause of the fire is being investigated today.

Crews from Tottenham, Bethnal Green, Walthamstow, Chingford and surrounding fire stations all worked at the scene; some used a 100 ft (30 m) turntable ladder installed as a water tower to help extinguish fires from above.

LONDON: Trains suspended on Weaver line while firefighters battle blaze

LONDON: Residents watch as a fire broke out near Vallentin Road in Walthamstow yesterday

LFB deputy commissioner Tom Goodall, who was at the scene, said: ‘We committed significant resources to this fire and firefighters worked in hot and challenging conditions to bring the blaze under control as quickly as possible.

‘One house was burned and the rear extension of a second house was damaged. Unfortunately, the gardens of nearly 30 properties were also affected by the fire. However, the teams worked hard to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses.

‘A railway embankment also burned which caused disruption to the Weaver London Overground line. ‘We have worked closely with Transport for London and British Transport Police to support passengers on stopped trains.’

The fire led to the establishment of ‘Operation Willow Beck’, a prescribed 999 call distribution procedure scheme introduced in 2022 that can route excess emergency calls to unaffected fire and rescue service control rooms.

It comes as emergency services warn of ‘extreme’ bushfire risks as the UK continues to swelter in its third heatwave of the year.

Natural England’s Fire Severity Index puts most of England at ‘very high’ bushfire risk, while some areas in southern England and the Midlands are at ‘exceptional’ risk.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue were called to two moorland bushfires recently and announced a major incident last night following a fire on Tintwistle Moor.

The LFB battled a major bush fire at Stratford station last Friday evening, which resulted in the closure of railway lines.

The LFB also said it sent seven engines and an off-road support vehicle to a fire at a site near Sevenoaks Road in Orpington yesterday afternoon.

WALES: A bushfire broke out near the Sychnant Pass in Mount Conwy yesterday, prompting evacuations

WEST SUSSEX: Crews respond to a fire at Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs National Park on Saturday

LONDON: Fire crews are battling a large blaze involving bush in Stratford last Friday evening

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has declared a major incident as a fire spread near Sychnant Pass in Mount Conwy. People living in parts of Capelulo village were advised to evacuate due to smoke.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called to a ‘major open fire’ on the South Downs near Eastbourne on Saturday, while crews also battled a blaze at Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs National Park in West Sussex.

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) deputy chief bushfire officer and chief tactical advisor Dave Swallow warned that dry, sunny and hot conditions ‘significantly increase the risk of bushfire’.

The Met Office said the record-breaking temperatures ensured that 2026 would become the first year in which 35 degrees were recorded on six separate days. This broke the previous record set in 1976 and 2020, when five days with temperatures above 35 degrees were recorded.

This year was also the first to see temperatures of 35°C or higher in three calendar months, breaking the record for most temperatures of 34°C or higher with nine temperatures so far this summer.

It comes as hundreds of firefighters battle one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires, which has killed at least 12 people in the country’s southern Almeria province. It is thought that 4 of the dead were British.