Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has just arrived in Stourbridge to inspect damaged homes on Quarry Park Road, following the fire that destroyed 19 properties.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Simon Tuhill explained that it had been necessary to declare a major incident on Thursday in order for agencies to work together to tackle the rapidly-spreading blazes.

The force had worked with police, ambulance, Network Rail and "really importantly" the local authority - Dudley Council.

"They work really closely with the residents, they set up a rest centre at the town hall and looked after those residents that couldn't go home on the first night," he said.

"And they'll help direct people into temporary accommodation and liaise with insurance companies.

"Once the investigation is complete we'll provide that information to the insurance companies and, of course, to the residents as well who'll want to know the answers."

Specialist fire investigations teams are working at the sites of Thursday's fires, looking into the causes, says Simon Tuhill, chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service.

Officers are working closely with police forensic teams on the "complex" investigation, he adds.

Image source, PA Media

"The scale of the fire over such a large geographic area, over 500 acres, means that it's going to take us some time to determine the cause," he explained.

"Fires across the West Midlands have been occurring over the past month or so due to the dry conditions, and most of those fires can be attributed to human causes.

"Not all of them have been started deliberately, by any means, but some have."

For example, 40 firefighters were called last week to deal with a West Bromwich blaze, which the force believes was set by arsonists.

"Some of my firefighters had to go to hospital for precautionary check-ups," he explained.

"And that is utterly reprehensible, no firefighter should end up in hospital because somebody has started a fire deliberately".

A Worcestershire councillor has said the blazes in Pershore last week have prompted "wider conversations" over the issue of future fire prevention planning.

Dan Boatright-Greene, who represents the town for the Lib Dems, said: "We've got to get used to this.

"The climate is changing and we're going to see drier spells."

He said that meant people needed to "look at fire prevention a little bit more" and that attitudes also needed to change.

At the county council level, there was a "longer and wider conversation" taking place, he said, but homeowners could take simple steps to prepare for future fires too.

That included preparing an emergency "grab bag" of essentials and important documents.

An emergency alert from the government on Friday night, complete with a siren sound, was the widest use of the system to date.

It said the risk of wildfires was high nationally and urged people to avoid using barbeques, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks - anything with a naked flame.

It said small fires could quickly develop into a major wildfire as the unprecedented hot and dry weather continues.

But it not clear what effect it had on people's behaviour.

Image source, PA Media

Defending the move, government said that on Friday alone crews were tackling 43 wildfires across the country and had declared 11 major incidents, stretching resources to the very limit and requiring military support.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Two boys have been arrested following a large wildfire on Hednesford Hills, near Cannock in Staffordshire.

The pair, aged 12 and 13, are being held on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, Staffordshire Police said.

It came after three acres of land was damaged in the blaze, which broke out at shortly after 13:00 BST on Sunday.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said nobody was injured and an investigation was ongoing.

Group manager Jordan Money said: “I would urge parents to talk to young people about the dangers of setting fires. It is not a bit of fun, it is land damaged, lives put at risk and resources stretched.

"The demand we are facing is extraordinary, and we need all the help we can get in making sure fires are avoided at all costs."

A man who saw homes on his street go up in flames has spoken of his sadness for all those affected.

Robert Jones, from Pershore, witnessed how quickly smoke and flames spread, last Thursday.

"I was very sad for the people that own the house, because it's not the house it's the memories of it," he said.

"If they're gone, they're never going to get it back are they."

Jones's home, on the opposite side of the street, was not damaged, but he said he was worried that if the fire had spread through the trees, more houses would have caught fire.

West Midlands Fire Service is offering extra support to people in the Ladywood area today.

It has invited them to its fire station there and says there will be free clothing available, plus hot drink and biscuits.

The station on Icknield Port Road will be open until 14:00 BST.

Image source, Google

A community group that has been helping residents in Warstock, Birmingham said they had been "overwhelmed" with donations.

Samantha Nash from Solihull Lodge Community Centre said affected residents would be placed in temporary accommodation "so we've got everything ready for them, just to start them off, just to help them".

"We've had to pause donations because we have no space," she added.

"We've had small businesses donate a lot, all brand new, from the local community.

"We walked up and took loads of toiletries, food and water up to Gorleson Road and we were speaking to the families that were stood there still watching their houses in bits, and it was devastating.

"You walk away, you cry," she added, "you can't help but feel so sorry for these families."

Nadine Towell
Reporting from Stourbridge

In Stourbridge, Racecourse Lane remains closed at Norton Road, where properties were destroyed in Thursday's fire.

Image source, PA Media

A helicopter can be heard circling overhead.

The house on the corner escaped the worst of the fire, but there’s visible damage to fencing, windows and part of the house.

But their immediate neighbours’ home was destroyed - that’s how close they came.

There are three vans outside the property this morning, starting the long effort to clear, repair and renovate.

The owners there only moved in a few months ago.

Paula Fenton, 84, lost her home and nearly all of her belongings, including hearing aids, jewellery, a wedding ring and other memories of her late husband, after fire ripped through her bungalow in Willenhall.

It was among several damaged when a fire spread through gardens in Stonehouse Avenue on Thursday.

Image source, Jade Fenton

Jade Fenton said her nan grabbed her "blind and diabetic" Yorkshire terrier Molly and pet budgie before leaving the property.

"I think she is still in shock. I feel so bad for her," she said, adding the bungalow was now "a shell".

"All the window and doors have melted and everything has gone," she said.

Here are is how some homes are looking in Pershore this morning.

A number of homes were destroyed and dozens of people were evacuated from the area.

Jen Compton from Solihull Lodge Community Centre - one road away from where fires broke out in Gorleston Road, Warstock in Birmingham - said residents still remained "shellshocked" after homes were destroyed.

Six properties were completely destroyed, with a further 13 affected by fire, she said.

"It is a horrific site up there, it's not something that you'd want to see."

Some pets and wildlife "weren't able to escape the area," she explained.

Image source, PA Media

"A lot of the people that we spoke to still can't process what has happened," she added.

"You just kind of ask them if they need any items of donations, and their automatic response is 'no, no, I've got stuff,' and their friends have to remind them that actually unfortunately it's unsalvageable."

Affected residents "just need some time to grieve and process what they're seeing," she added.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire's fire chief Jon Pryce believes people there are fortunate to live in two beautiful rural counties.

But he said: "When you get summers like we're having right now these beautiful green counties become beautiful brown counties."

Some have suggested wildfires could be controlled in future by cutting back some of the greenery to create natural fire breaks, he said.

Pryce is not convinced though, and said: "I'm not sure cutting down all our greenery is necessarily the solution.

"We have to think differently and act differently."

Tony Aldhouse from Warstock lost his garden in the fire and said: "It's like a bomb's dropped there."

The fire "took hold in minutes" he added, and affected more than 20 other gardens.

Six houses were also destroyed and he said: "It's just black ash everywhere."

He is back in his home now, but had to spend a night at his daughter's house.

Stourbridge resident Chloe described to Radio WM how she was working from home on Thursday, and was texted by a neighbour at about 13:30 asking her if she could smell smoke.

Image source, Reuters

"Literally within ten minutes smoke was bellowing over us," she said.

"I looked over road and children were running over to us.

"Their mum was trying to put out the fire with a hosepipe, and literally within 20 minutes flames had completely engulfed the back of their house and we ran.

"We got them out and they're alive, that's all that matters."

She said her neighbours had lost everything.

A lot of the residents stayed to hose down the hedges "which we think saved our side of the road," she added.

Image source, HWFRS

Jon Pryce, the chief fire officer in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, says he can't understand why people are still lighting fires in the dry weather.

Of the 15 fires in the open his fire service attended over the weekend, three were started by bonfires.

He said: "I'm not quite sure after the events of last week what the mentality of people thinking that it is a good idea to light a fire, bonfire, campfire in this weather."

It comes after an emergency government alert on Friday night called on everyone to avoid lighting fires and barbeques, due to a "very high risk of wildfires nationally".

Carol Squires from Warstock in Birmingham lost her childhood home.

Her 70-year-old father was still living there at the time and has had to move in with her sister.

She said: "The roof has completely gone as has the first floor, it's horrible to see.

"It's the memories of my mum, his wife, who died last year that he's struggling to deal with," she added.

"She used to collect stuff, she loved Elvis she loved Daniel O'Donnell, it's all gone."

Josh Tranter
BBC Radio WM

The actions of the community on Racecourse Lane, Stourbridge, helped save some properties, I've been hearing, with father and son Richard and Jay Cartwright describing what they witnessed.

Jay said he first saw flames in the distance, "but they were coming closer and closer".

"There was a tractor and it caught on fire," he said, "and it just rapidly spread to the front of our house."

"It was just mad. The house opposite, their windows blew in, it just exploded, it was just like a movie set really."

Dad, Richard, added: "I actually couldn't believe it, the speed it was coming."

He described asking "very distressed" neighbours for hosepipes.

"Basically all of us co-ordinated, my son co-ordinated everyone with their hosepipes.

"Poor Katie next door was out, so we had to go and rescue her dog," he explained.

"It was just so chaotic, and poor Rose in that corner house, she just got out in the nick of time.

"And within the space of a minute, like Jay said, the windows just blew out.

"But it's thanks to Jay really that we managed to put it all out, and we were there till the end."

A fundraiser created by Dudley Council to help residents "rebuild their lives" has surpassed £37,000.

Another by the Heart of England Community Foundation to help families affected by fires across the West Midlands has hit £50,000.

Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles urged anyone who needed additional support to reach out for help.

"I'm on hand to support however I can, the Town Hall remains open for food, clothes, pet supplies, phone chargers, general inquiries," she said.

"Counselling is available and being offered by several local professionals free of charge for adults and children."