‘MAJOR INCIDENT’ DECLARES AS HEATWAVE GRIPS LONDON

Tue 19 July 2022:

In response to the increase in fires that have occurred during a heatwave that has set records throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, London’s firefighting authority has declared a major incident in the British capital.

Tuesday saw the deployment of dozens of fire engines by the London Fire Brigade, including 30 to a grass fire in east London. Television images showed a single fire engulfing multiple homes.

The UK recorded its highest-ever temperature shortly before 12:00 GMT on Tuesday, when it reached 40.2C (104.4F) at London’s Heathrow Airport, according to the UK’s Meteorological Office.#Heatwave2022 pic.twitter.com/33XB76kzAh

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 19, 2022

The brigade stated that although firefighters are still serving the needs of their communities, declaring a major incident allows them to concentrate their resources.

According to the UK Meteorological Office, the UK experienced its highest temperature ever on Tuesday just before 12:00 GMT when it reached 40.2C (104.4F) at London’s Heathrow Airport.

It marked the second time the country’s record temperature had been broken in as many hours after it reached 39.1C (102.4F) in Surrey, southeastern England, earlier on Tuesday. The previous high of 38.7C (101.6F) was recorded in 2019.

The Met Office warned temperatures were “still climbing in many places”, with heat warnings in place for vast swaths of the country, indicating a threat to life.

🌡️ For the first time ever, 40 Celsius has provisionally been exceeded in the UK

London Heathrow reported a temperature of 40.2°C at 12:50 today

📈 Temperatures are still climbing in many places, so remember to stay #WeatherAware ⚠️#heatwave #heatwave2022 pic.twitter.com/GLxcR6gjZX

— Met Office (@metoffice) July 19, 2022

As the country sweltered, trains were cancelled, schools were shuttered, normally busy city centres appeared quiet and emergency services were reportedly experiencing a surge in 999 calls.

As people flocked to the beach, rivers, lakes, and swimming pools in an effort to cool off, authorities reported that a man had died at a water park in the Cotswolds, in central England, bringing the total number of deaths in and around water since Sunday to five.

The UK has been placed in a state of national emergency due to the record temperatures, which scientists have linked to climate change. The UK frequently struggles to handle extreme heat or cold.

After at least two airport runways showed signs of damage and some train tracks buckled in the heat, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said it would be many years before the nation could fully upgrade its infrastructure to withstand higher temperatures.

“Infrastructure, much of which was built from the Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature,” he told the BBC.