Fire spreads to residential area in western England, destroying six homes

A wildfire spread into residential areas of Stourbridge in western England as temperatures reached 38.1°C, destroying six homes and forcing residents to evacuate. Firefighters instructed some residents to wet the exterior walls of their homes before leaving. The West Midlands Fire Service responded to multiple simultaneous blazes in the town, with one child and three firefighters taken to hospital. Service commander Simon Toweshill said crews had answered thousands of emergency calls. Around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze that broke out near Stourbridge golf course at midday and burned through 40 acres, sending golfers fleeing from the flames. Local minister Andrew Tromans said the incident warned of a larger danger, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the fire's impact as "horrific" and offered his sympathies to the injured and displaced residents. A large-scale fire was also reported near Stratford-upon-Avon in Salford Priors. No further details were immediately available.