Firefighters have been praised by Sadiq Khan for their “incredible efforts” in limiting the devastation caused to London by the heatwave as the clear-up after dozens of blazes continued.
Mr Khan said the London Fire Brigade had to respond to more than a dozen large fires burning simultaneously on Tuesday afternoon as the record 40C temperatures wreaked havoc.
Mr Khan, speaking at Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall on Thursday, said: “Were it not for the bravery of our firefighters and the professionalism of our emergency call-handlers, there’s no doubt in my mind that the situation we faced would have been far worse.”
He said the fires had also shown the “best of London” as people rushed to alert neighbours to the danger, at times rather than safeguarding their own possessions.
But he said the heatwave must be a “wake up call” to national governments.
“On Monday and Tuesday, London was one of the hottest places in the world – hotter even than the Western Sahara or the Caribbean,” he said.
“The scenes of recent days show that no country or city is immune to the consequences of the climate emergency.”
Havering council has set up an assistance centre in a sports centre in Hornchurch for residents of Wennington, where about a dozen homes were destroyed.
Council leader Ray Morgon said: “I spent the whole day yesterday with residents and cannot begin to describe the unprecedented scenes and traumatic stories I’ve heard and seen the devastation for myself.”
One resident, Claire Taylor, 40, lost all but her grandfather’s ashes, some photos and clothes.
Her family was one of around 90 to be evacuated, some of whom were forced to flee largely empty-handed.
Ms Taylor, who works in a charity shop, is appealing for donations. She said: “We know we’re not the only ones in that situation, so if I can try and get some awareness out there - to let them know there is somewhere they can take stuff, like cots and buggies, to make someone’s life a little bit easier, to put a smile of their little kiddies’ faces - that would mean the world to me.”
The transport network was largely back to normal today, though there were minor delays on Thameslink and Avanti West Coast services this morning.
The Met Office said a band of heavy showers was moving slowly southwards, with a “small risk of an isolated thunderstorm” south of the capital, but lifted a yellow warning in place overnight. Drivers were warned of difficult conditions on the M2 motorway in Kent.
Temperatures in London on Thursday were expected to remain in the low 20Cs due to cloud cover, but rising to 27C on Sunday.
