Multiple fires destroy homes and cause devastation in West Midlands

A child and three firefighters were among those taken to hospital as several fires raged across the West Midlands, destroying homes and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate from their houses.

As the UK recorded its hottest day of the year, fire services in the region said they experienced extreme levels of demand on Thursday.

A huge blaze near Stourbridge Golf Course saw about 100 firefighters battling the fire which spread rapidly through dry grass and woodland, setting alight six homes.

Elsewhere in the region four homes were destroyed by fire in Stoke-on-Trent, a woman was seriously injured in a blaze in Castle Vale, Birmingham, and a major incident was declared because of a fire in Warwickshire.

The region's fire chief Simon Tuhill said there was extensive devastation while Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was "awful" to see the impact on homes and communities and thanked firefighters tackling the blazes.

Burnham added: "My thoughts are with everyone affected, particularly those who have been injured or forced from their homes, and with the firefighters who have been taken to hospital.

"I'm in touch with local leaders like [West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker] and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response."

Parker described the large number of fires on Thursday as an "extremely worrying and fast-moving situation".

The fire in Stourbridge - which covered about 40 acres of land, including woodland - had "several points of origin", West Midlands Fire Service said.

Tuhill said the service's fire control team had dealt with thousands of 999 calls through the day, and added the fires were "one of the most significant" incidents the service had ever dealt with.

The ambulance service said six people were treated at the scene of the Stourbridge fire, with two taken to hospital. Earlier, the fire service said a child and three firefighters were taken to hospital across the region.

Jane Baxter, who was evacuated from her home off Norton Road, Stourbridge, said she first noticed the smell of smoke at about 13:15 BST, which became "horrendous" and she "could see the flames above the rooftops of the houses".

Residents in homes backing on to the golf course were told by police to leave, with one of them, Dave Edwards, saying people were told to wet their fences and prepare to flee as the fire spread.

Aerial footage shows the extent of the damage, with several homes destroyed and smoke spreading for miles.

There was also a large fire off Hillmeads Road, in Druids Heath, Birmingham, on Thursday.

In Worcestershire, several homes were damaged and 30 evacuated in Pershore after a large fire in Lancelott Court.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation, the fire service said, with about 200 homes in the area left without power.

Several homes were evacuated in Stoke-on-Trent due to a blaze in the Goldenhill area of the city.

One resident said four homes were destroyed by the fire, describing them as "completely gone".

Severn Trent Water warned of disruption to water supplies across the West Midlands as a result of the fires.

In Warwickshire, the county's fire and rescue service said it was responding to a "large fire" in Salford Priors, Stratford-upon-Avon, which was declared a major incident.

By 21:00 on Thursday, it had been stood down although fire crews were still at the scene.

Smoke from some of the fires forced the closure of the M6 northbound between junctions five and six, causing more than two hours of delays.

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