UK records highest temperature of the year; homes destroyed in scattered wildfires

London, August 13 (KUNA) – The UK Met Office announced on Thursday that the highest temperature of the year has been recorded at 38.1 degrees Celsius. The Met Office confirmed in a statement that this record high was reached in Kew Gardens, west London, surpassing the previous record set on June 26 in Lingwood, east England. It noted that the heat currently experienced in the United Kingdom is part of the fifth heatwave to hit the country over the past two months, and that a Level 2 (orange) heat health alert remains in effect until 9 p.m. tomorrow, Friday.

In a related development, British authorities confirmed that scattered fires broke out in several woodlands and forests in the West Midlands region of central England, destroying some homes and injuring five people, including three firefighters. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted local emergency teams as saying that more than 100 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the blazes, which erupted amid record-high temperatures for the year.

Yesterday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the National Emergency Committee to discuss the government’s response to the heatwave and drought affecting the country, which have caused a significant drop in water levels. (End) M.R.N. / H.S.S.