Firefighters issue warning to be 'extra careful' with barbecues and flames after fire destroys Sheffield homes
At least 10 houses were damaged
A fire service warning has been issued about lighting fires during the heatwave after a blaze damaged 10 homes on a Sheffield estate.
Eight fire crews rushed to Fox Hill Road, Fox Hill, in the early hours of Thursday, July 23, after reports that a fire had spread to nearby properties.
A row of five homes were damaged by the blaze, while another five nearby suffered heat damage.
Some residents have been left homeless, with their properties deemed uninhabitable, prompting South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to reiterate safety warnings during periods of hot weather.
Station manager Tom Robjohns said: “It’s really important that during times of hot weather, and especially during this long period of hot weather we’ve had, that you are extra careful when handling barbecues, also when having fires at home.
“Ensure that you have water on standby and only burn if it’s absolutely necessary to do so.”
He thanked the crews for their response to today’s blaze, saying they worked “incredibly hard” to stop the flames spreading to more homes.
“The impacts of this fire have been quite severe and again it points to why we are asking you to please consider burning, consider the use of barbecue,” he continued.
Hot weather is expected to continue throughout the next week, reaching hights of 25 degrees by Wednesday (July 29).
The recent heatwaves have been causing persistent problems for firefighters, with crews in Derbyshire spending close to a month battling a wildfire that is raging across the Peak District.
On Fox Hill Road, residents spent this morning looking on helplessly as firefighters battled to save their homes after being evacuated at around 4am.
“I feel incredibly sorry for anybody who’s been involved or affected by this fire,” Mr Robjohns added.
“Our hearts go out to them from the service.”
Residents said they were thankful for neighbours who quickly called 999 and began knocking on each others doors while emergency services responded to reports of the blaze.
“We at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue depend on our communities to be there for each other,” Mr Robjohns said.
“Obviously the most effective form of raising the alarm to any fire is to have working fire smoke alarms inside the buildings.
“But my message to [neighbours] is thank you to being good citizens to one another, thank you for coming together as a community and thank you for raising the alarm, because at that time in the morning them coming together has stopped us having any serious injuries from this fire.”
UPDATE: A man has been arrested over the fire which devastated.
South Yorkshire Police confirmed this afternoon that a 59-year-old man is being held on suspicion of criminal damage and arson.