Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has declared a “major incident” as the number of calls has doubled in the extreme heat.
Crews have attended more than 240 emergency incidents today (July 189) across the county, which the fire service says is in part due to the weather.
Anyone witnessing an incident is asked to be patient due to the “very high volume” of 999 calls that is said to be double than a normal day.
These incidents in Hertfordshire include crop fires, field fires and road traffic collisions on major roads.
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Some example situations that have strained the service today include a crash on the M1 involving a large vehicle and a field fire in Hemel Hempstead.
The major incident comes after the London Fire Brigade also sounded the alarm earlier today due to the many fires breaking out such as two large fires in Wembley and Kenton, northwest London.
The service said: “You can help to reduce the pressure on our staff by following our heatwave advice and staying safe over the next few hours."
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