The fire broke out on the hottest day in June so far, with eye witnesses telling Daily Star they had to ‘run for cover because there was smoke in our lungs’
A huge fire erupted on Peckham Rye high street this evening (Thursday, June 25) as crowds of people were seen attempting to get away.
Flames were seen over a row of shops in the south London borough, with eyewitnesses telling Daily Star they had to exit the area due to “smoke in the lungs”.
It is currently unclear what the cause of the fire was. Daily Star has approached London Fire Brigade for further information. In video seen by this publication flames engulf Peckham high street, with crowds of people attempting to seek cover.
“The back of Forza and Copeland is where the fire is coming from,” an eyewitness told Daily Star. “Rye Lane is backed up and cars can’t get through. It’s chaos right now.”
The incident comes as temperatures have soared in the UK, with red warnings in place by the Met Office. Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, stated: “We have issued another amber warning for eastern and central England for Friday.”
Earlier today Britain sizzled on its hottest June day on record, with temperatures rising above 36C and some vicious wildfires breaking out in certain parts of the Peak District.
Dramatic images show huge flames tearing through Tintwistle Moor in Derbyshire on Thursday – as firefighters battled to contain the blaze.
Footage released by the Derby Mountain Rescue Team reveals the extent of the fire, which has now charred 400 square metres of land due to the tinderbox conditions brought on by the extraordinary heatwave.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service reported that six fire crews were at the scene today, with helicopters being called in to douse the blaze from above.
The wildfire occurs as Britain endures a ‘heat dome’ – with temperatures hitting 36.7C this afternoon, just one day after Gosport in Hampshire reached 36.1C, breaking the record set in 1976.
Temperatures are forecast to skyrocket again tomorrow to 38C, or 36C in the shade – as large parts of England and Wales continue to be under a rare red warning for extreme heat.