Five hectares of land scorched in Dagenham fire
About 60 firefighters fought a grass fire near Clemence Road, Dagenham, on July 14, 2022 - Credit: London Fire Brigade
Five hectares of grass and shrubs were destroyed by a fire in Dagenham yesterday afternoon.
About 60 firefighters using eight engines were drafted in just after 3.30pm on Thursday, July 14, to tackle the grass fire near Clemence Road.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews had it under control within an hour-and-a-half and firefighters remained at the scene to dampen down the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Today - Friday, July 15 - marks four years since more than 200 firefighters tackled the largest grass fire in London at Wanstead Flats.
At its height, over 100 hectares of grass was alight.
The risk of grass fires grows as temperatures do, and the LFB has already attended more than 1,430 grass and open land fires across the city this year.
With prolonged periods of hot weather, there is a concern these numbers will rise.
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Common causes of grass blazes include carelessly discarded cigarettes or matches as well as rubbish left lying around such as glass bottles, which can start fires by magnifying the sun’s rays.
Reduce the risk of fire by making sure rubbish and cigarettes are properly disposed of.
