East London grass fires: 245 firefighters called in one day

125 firefighters alone tackled a huge blaze in Dagenham across eight hectares of shrubland, trees and grass.

The fire service was aided in Dagenham by members of other emergency services (Image: Bardoville Bardoville) 75 calls were made about the flames from 6.30pm on July 14.

THE FIRST FIRE: Homes evacuated as 125 firefighters tackle HUGE grass blaze in Dagenham

The fire in Dagenham left scorched earth where there was grass (Image: Bardoville Bardoville)Homes near Clemence Road were evacuated as the flames reached fences and garden furniture as firefighters “worked extremely hard” to prevent further damage.

125 firefighters fought the Dagenham blaze – the first of the evening (Image: Bardoville Bardoville) A second fire in Hornchurch began around 8.10pm.

Flames were captured in a video from a window burning metres from people’s gardens near Wingletye Lane.
The fire in Hornchurch came close to gardens, as seen in a video (Image: THD)60 firefighters in eight fire engines tackled the blaze which destroyed around eight hectares of grassland.

THE SECOND FIRE: Grass fire burns metres from houses in Hornchurch with investigation launched

Grass fire on Wingletye Lane in Hornchurch right now pic.twitter.com/RsRYAj9GYU

— The Havering Daily (@HaveringDaily) July 14, 2025

A third fire began soon after at 9pm in Walthamstow Marshes.

60 firefighters in eight fire engines attended again with three hectares of grassland destroyed.

The fire brigade received 49 calls about the third blaze which took over two hours to tackle.People watched as the fire burned in Dagenham (Image: @MuhammadHaque1/X)

In total, the three fires destroyed 19 hectares of grassland – around 27 football pitches.

There were no injuries from the fires.

The causes of the three fires are under investigation, but the fire service has issued a warning amid the hot weather.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “During the hot weather, it is important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring. 

“As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly. 

“In London, this is can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.”

The fire service issued a specific warning around the use of barbecues.

The busy day came during the third heatwave of the year with temperatures of over 30 degrees in London.

The heat comes after spring 2025 was the warmest and sunniest on UK record, according to the Met Office.

This is in terms of average temperatures since records began in 1884.

It was the fourth sunniest season overall for the UK, with only three summers sunnier since 1910.