Warwickshire firefighters praised for their work after being called out to 24 fires out in the open during the hottest days of the year

During Monday (July 18) and Tuesday (July 19) temperatures hit scorching highs – with it hitting 40C in some places across the county.

Across the two days there were 24 fires out in the open, which includes an incident in a field in Balsall Common which was attended by 40 firefighters.

There was also a major fire in Walton near Wellesbourne on Monday evening, involving straw and farm machinery, which was putting nearby woodland at risk.

Large plumes of smoke from the Walton fire could be seen for mile around.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were not alone in seeing call outs to fires out in the open – fire crews across the UK were called out to many incident across the two days – including a massive fire in Lickey Hill near near Birmingham.

With temperatures returning back to a more expected level for UK summertime, Cllr Andy Crump has thanked all the firefighters for their hard work despite challenging circumstances.

Cllr Andy Crump, Warwickshire's portfolio holder for community safety and fire and rescue, said: “Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service attended 24 fires in the open during the heatwave over July 18 and July 19.

"The service has been extremely busy with 14 fire engines and 70 firefighters tackling two large field fires in Kenilworth and Coleshill, and a range of other heatwave-related incidents across the county.

"Our crews worked exceptionally hard in what were very challenging conditions to respond to incidents quickly.

“There are various steps that people can take to prevent problems and I urge residents to help us by continuing to follow fire safety advice:

~ Stay away from open water that isn’t safe for public swimming

~ Refrain from discarding cigarettes, matches and glass bottles, especially around dry fields and grass.

~ Keep portable barbeques off grass, away from tress, fences, sheds and shrubs or avoid using altogether

“Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you for the incredible efforts our crews made to protect residents in Warwickshire and also their colleagues who looked after the welfare of our firefighters doing their job on the hottest day on record.”