London Fire Brigade issues warnings over grass fires in the capital and want a ban on BBQs in public parks

The London Fire Brigade have already issued an urgent safety warning on 16th July, following the largest grass fire in its history at Wanstead and a series of other grass fires across the capital. They now wish to see a  temporary ban on BBQs in public park.

Firefighters are concerned that there will be further incidents if the public doesn’t take greater care during the heatwave.

Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: “I have attended a number of these large grass fires and it never ceases to shock me how many abandoned smouldering barbecues fire crews spot. In these arid conditions, barbecuing on dry grass is not just thoughtless, it’s reckless.

“We have a lot of green space in London but it’s nearly always lined by roads and houses. It’s only a matter of time before hot smoke and flaming debris catches nearby cars and houses and someone is seriously hurt.

“I know a barbecue ban can be difficult to enforce and many councils have already implemented a ban but I am calling on all our partners to do whatever they can to help us protect London’s open spaces from devastating blazes.”

The Brigade has also been telling people to stop barbecuing on balconies and avoid carelessly discarding cigarettes and matches.

Commissioner Cotton continued: “If you barbecue on your balcony you are putting all your neighbours at risk. Smouldering ash drifts upwards and over balconies, catching on curtains flowing from open windows and dry plants and trees that act as kindling.

”While we have the resources in place to cope, as with any fire, we would rather they didn’t break out in the first place, especially fires that are so easily avoided.”

They have already attended 821 grass fires up to the middle of July, six times as many large grass fires than the total number attended in 2017. Fires the size of the Wanstead blaze, requiring more than 4 engines are highly unusual for an urban area but then this is not "usual" Summer weather. The area alight was 100 hectares of grass which is roughly the same size as 100 football pitches. So far this year, the Brigade has dealt with 43 large grass fires, this is six times higher than last year’s total number of significant grass fires, when there were only seven.

At one point this week over 260 firefighters were tackling grass fires across London including a large blazes on Woolwich Common, as well as others in Barnet, Hillingdon, Leytonstone and Enfield. It took four days to extinguish the Wanstead flat grass fires with over 40 fire engines battling a rapidly spreading fire at the height of the blaze.

Incidentally, there was a small (and easily contained) grass fire at Railway Fields which required the fire brigade a couple of weeks back, almost certainly caused by careless smoking behaviour. It was the first one that anyone can remember there.

London Fire are reminding people of some basic prevention, including not leaving glass bottles laying in dead grass.

They have these tips:

• Never leave camp fires or barbecues unattended and extinguish them properly after you have finished using them 
• Clear away bottles, glasses and any broken glass to avoid them magnifying the sun and starting a fire
• Dispose of smoking materials such as cigarettes safely
• Explain to children the dangers of playing with and lighting fires

“Grass fires spread like lightening so if you see dry grass smouldering, please call 999 and report it immediately so that firefighters can deal with it and stop it from spreading.”

It's hard to know if this year is an anomaly, or whether it represents a trend to longer, hotter, drier summers for the East and South East but, if the latter, the careless littering and barbecue behaviour of many of London's inhabitants is going to have to change.