Families allowed back to see charred remains of their homes after Wennington wildfire

Looking solemn with their heads hanging low, the residents of Wennington prepared themselves to look at the charred remains of their homes.

They were ‘destroyed in a few minutes’ by a grassfire, several of which caused huge damage across the UK in the heatwave on Tuesday.

There was still the smell of smoke in the air when their bus arrived in the east London village, reminding them of the horror they endured.

Yesterday, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) warned those affected about the state of their properties.

Olufunke Akinfe and her husband Olatery, both 54, who have lived at their home on The Green for 16 years, were told it is still standing.

‘I was working from home in my study, and I had the window open, I could smell burning and I saw ashes come through the window,’ she said ahead of the visit.

‘I looked out and saw my neighbour trying to climb a ladder to look over the fence where there was a fire.

‘When I saw it, I went outside and got my hose pipe to try and help contain the flames.

‘But when I got back to my house I saw my doormat was on fire, it was windy and the doormat was made of straw, after that the grass was on fire, then the fence was on fire too.

‘I rushed out of my house only taking my phone, nothing else. I’ve had to buy flip flops and toiletries from a shop as I didn’t have anything with me.’

The Post Office worker said she knows four people whose homes have been fully destroyed by the fire.

Like their neighbours, the couple spent the night in a makeshift respite centre.

Pictures show people with teary eyes embracing each other before heading to inspect the damage.

But many had big smiles on their faces, pleased to see that everyone survived the nightmare.

The fire happened on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK as the LFB declared a ‘major incident’.

Crews tackled at least 10 blazes across the capital due to the dangerous 40°C temperatures.

No one died but more than 40 properties were ruined after the fires spread in Wennington, Dagenham and Kenton, the brigade confirmed.

Assistant commissioner Jonathan Smith said: ‘Tuesday’s fires are another example of how we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes.

‘We’re developing long-term strategies to deal with more incidents like this in the future.’

A chief firefighter warned these fires should be a ‘wake-up call’ for Britain amid the climate crisis.

It is still unclear how much the damage from the fires will cost.

The Taylor family, who live in Wennington, lost their entire home and possessions, according to fundraising pages set up to help them.

Claire and Antony, and their three young boys, aged eight, six and 18 months, face a long journey to rebuild their lives.

Already, more than £6,000 has been donated to help them but they are not the only ones looking to replace what was lost.

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