A wildfire has broken out in the Peak District as Britain is in the grips of an unprecedented heatwave that has seen the hottest ever June temperatures.
Images show huge flames ravaging woodland and moorland in Glossop near Wood Head Reservoir in Derbyshire, today.
Plumes of smoke billowed overhead as the fire raged on after first breaking out at around 10pm on Wednesday evening.
Footage captured by the Derby Mountain Rescue Team shows the scale of the blaze, which has now affected 400 sq m of land.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said six fire crews were at the scene today – with helicopters throwing water on the inferno from above.
The UK is currently sweltering under a ‘heat dome’ – with the mercury reaching as high as 36.7C this afternoon, just one day after Gosport in Hampshire hit 36.1C, breaking the record set in 1976.
Temperatures are expected to soar again tomorrow to 38C, or 36C in the shade – as swathes of England and Wales remain under a rare red warning for extreme heat.
Footage captured by the Derby Mountain Rescue Team shows the scale of the blaze, which has now affected 400 sq m of land
A helicopter flies above a wildfire as burns near a forest in Glossop near Wood Head Reservoir, Derbyshire
Thousands of people cool off in the sea in Bournemouth, Dorset, this afternoon
A helicopter throws water above a wildfire as burns near a forest in Glossop
The Met Office said it had extended a rare red extreme heat warning for ‘population-wide adverse health effects’ and a ‘danger to life’ by another day until tomorrow.
South East England will remain under the warning, which was previously issued for yesterday and today.
It comes as a swimmer died after going into the sea during a visit to Aberavon beach in Port Talbot, South Wales, at about 4.30pm yesterday.
Coastguard personnel performed CPR but the 50-year-old man from nearby Cilfrew died at the scene.
Elsewhere a fire engine caught fire in the heatwave while travelling to a crash on the A350 at Charlton Marshall in Dorset at 6.30pm yesterday.
The crew from Blandford fire station stopped the vehicle and managed to escape before calling for backup.
Two other crews from Wimborne and Sturminster Newton rushed to the scene to tackle the inferno which burnt out the engine’s cab – and the fire also spread to the nearby grass verge and telegraph cables before it was eventually put out by 8.30pm.
The blaze caused the engine’s tyres and cylinders, including breathing apparatus sets, to explode.
Last night was also the UK’s warmest June night ever after overnight temperatures in Cardiff failed to drop below 23.5C, beating the previous record of 22.7C in 1976.
Schools and nurseries across swathes of England and Wales have either closed or partially closed, with some bringing in early finishing times or relaxed uniform rules.
At least 1,600 schools in England and 840 in Wales were closed or disrupted during this week’s heatwave, according to analysis of council websites by BBC News.
In Guernsey, La Houguette Primary School helping pupils keep cool by moving some lessons to a Nazi bunker built when the island was occupied during World War Two.
Transport networks have faced major disruption and people are being urged to stay inside between 11am to 3pm, close windows and curtains and stay hydrated.
South Western Railway passengers have been urged to avoid non-essential travel to seaside resorts such as Bournemouth tomorrow because of the heat.
This is a breaking news story – more to follow
