Four wildfires burned in the the capital in just 24 hours as firefighters warned there have already been more of the blazes than in the whole of 2024.
A fourth fire covering two hectares was brought under control by the firefighters in Upminster, Havering on Tuesday after three on Monday in east London.
The London Fire Brigade sent 125 firefighters to tackle a huge blaze at Beam Valley Country Park in Dagenham on Monday evening which came close to people’s houses.
Some residents battled the inferno before being told to evacuate their properties as flames ripped through eight hectares of land, scorching garden furniture, sheds and fences.
Crews used jets and wildfire beaters to beat the blaze in the afternoon and new specialist wildfire vehicles were deployed.
The purpose-built Isuzu D-Max cars are capable of carrying 475 litres of water with misting lance technology that allows firefighters to pump water while driving.
Twenty fire engines and around 125 firefighters are at the scene of a grass fire in #Dagenham residents were ordered to evacuate as a precaution #LFB #GrassFire #London #LAS #MetPolice #Fire pic.twitter.com/BAvncPF1cp
— Elevate Drones (@ElevateDrones) July 14, 2025
Meanwhile, areas of grassland burned on Monday near Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch and at Walthamstow Marshes, Waltham Forest.
It comes three years after wildfires destroyed 19 homes in Wennington during a record-breaking summer.
Wildfires are continuing to rage through London this summer with temperatures soaring as high as 34C (94C) across two heatwaves in June.
Blake Betts, the LFB’s commander for Barking and Dagenham, revealed the force has fought more wildfires so far this summer than in the whole of 2024.
I think I'm going to build a concrete wall... that would stop the fires
So far this year, the LFB have responded to at least 27 wildfires in the capital, with nine taking place last month alone.
Mr Betts said the LFB is experiencing a "busy summer", but stressed that the force is well prepared with better staff training and equipment to tackle wildfires, including the pilot of four specialist response vehicles.
He told the BBC: "We are experiencing a very busy summer; we certainly haven't had one like this in a few years, but we are much better prepared for these fires than we were in the past.
"We had new wildfire vehicles at this fire yesterday, all of our staff have been trained to deal with these fires and we have a really robust response to these types of fires."
Cynthia Dawkins-Lloyd, whose house backs on to Beam Valley Country Park, said she “smelled smoke” as she lay down in her gown after returning from a holiday.
She said her "fantastic neighbours" tried to tackle the flames with hoses, but stressed she needed more protection as there had been a fire on the site every summer in recent years.
"I think I'm going to build a concrete wall. That would stop it," she said.
While still under investigation, Mr Betts said fires like these were typically caused by sparks from disposable barbecues or cigarettes butts.
Between 2022 and May 2025, the force recorded 332 callouts, 17 of which resulted in casualties, where a disposable BBQs was recorded as a cause or contributing factor to a fire.
"We want people to be out in open spaces enjoying the weather but we want them to be doing so carefully and cautiously," Mr Betts said.
