London Fire Brigade crews battled a string of major fires on Friday as temperatures in the capital pushed past 30 °C during the summer’s third heatwave. Around 70 firefighters and ten engines contained a grass fire on Wanstead Flats that scorched roughly 14 acres (about 56,000 sq m) of parched parkland. The blaze, brought under control shortly after 3 p.m., prompted warnings for nearby residents to keep doors and windows shut because of drifting smoke. Elsewhere in the city, ten engines and another 70 firefighters were sent to a 17-storey residential block on Hillingdon Street in Walworth after flames erupted on the 11th floor. The fire, visible across much of south London, damaged parts of the building before being contained. No serious injuries were reported, but authorities advised the public to avoid the area while crews damped down hotspots. Late on Friday night roughly 150 firefighters backed by 25 engines tackled a separate blaze at an industrial estate in Erith, south-east London, where a warehouse, cranes and several vehicles caught fire. Three 32-metre turntable ladders were deployed, and officials said the operation was likely to continue through the night. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. The outbreaks come amid a surge in heat-related incidents nationwide. Fire services in England and Wales responded to 649 wildfires between 1 January and 9 July—twice as many as in any previous year on record, according to data cited by the National Fire Chiefs Council. With the Natural Hazards Partnership rating London’s wildfire risk as “severe” and an amber heat-health alert in place until Monday, officials urged the public to avoid open flames, barbecues and discarded cigarettes in dry outdoor areas.