UK heatwave latest: Wildfire rages and other blazes cause chaos on June’s hottest ever day

A major wildfire is being tackled in Derbyshire and a fire has seen plumes off smoke cover London on June’s hottest ever day.

A major wildfire is being tackled in Derbyshire and a fire has seen plumes off smoke cover London on June’s hottest ever day.

Today is the UK’s hottest June day on record with a provisional temperature of 36.4°C having been recorded in Yeovilton, Somerset – 0.3°C hotter than yesterday’s high of 36.1°C in Gosport, Hampshire.

Firefighters in Derbyshire have been unable to put out a wildfire on Tintwistle Moor, which has been burning since last night.

The Met Office has extended its red weather warning for London and parts of southeast England until Friday at 9pm.

Temperatures will cool slightly overnight tonight. But across much of England and Wales, it’s expected to remain above 20C – what forecasters call a tropical night.

Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals declared a critical incident after crucial cooling systems broke down.

People in Chambray-lès-Tours, France, fought over fans and air conditioners as a severe heatwave pushed temperatures above 40°C, with more than half the country under red alerts. pic.twitter.com/XdCqEPHor6

Onlookers stopped to watch the blaze while thick black smoke billowed out of the Khan’s bargains department store on Peckham Rye.

The London Fire Brigade has advised all local residents to keep their windows and doors close as they work to contain the inferno.

Footage shows the raging fire growing aggressively right next to a block of flats and other stores.

Six fire engines are said to be on scene, with helicopters also dropping water from above.