Stourbridge's trail of destruction: Wildfire destroys 19 homes as disposable barbecues banned in 'tinderbox' Britain
A number of people were hospitalised by the 'apocalyptic' blazes
Nineteen houses have been destroyed and 18 damaged after a wildfire ripped through an area of Stourbridge.
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West Midlands Fire Service chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said firefighters were in attendance at 10 “significant” blazes across the region on Thursday, in scenes some described as “apocalyptic”.
Speaking at the scene of a fire which spread over more than 500 acres in Stourbridge, Mr Tuhill told reporters one firefighter was taken to hospital but has since been discharged, with a further five suffering minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.
Read More: Two arrested on suspicion of starting West Midlands wildfire as 19 hospitalised across region
Today crews are still working to tackle the blaze, which has left a “significant” number of residents displaced after a further 18 homes were damaged on top of the 19 that were destroyed.
More wildfires have now struck England and Wales in 2026 so far than in the whole of 2025, with the latest spate of blazes in the West Midlands having led to people fleeing their homes to get out of the path of encroaching fires.
In Staffordshire, a fire destroyed four homes in the Goldenhill area of Stoke-on-Trent. A 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, both from the city, have been arrested on suspicion of arson after the incident.
Across the West Midlands, a total of 54 people have been treated by paramedics, including 19 who were admitted to hospital, following the fire outbreaks, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said.
Fire chiefs are investigating the possibility that A-level students celebrating their results may have started the Stourbridge blaze.
Emergency services received reports that the fires might have been linked to Year 13 students who celebrated with barbecues and by burning their notepads.
In Stourbridge, the Prime Minister said during a visit to the town that he had “never seen scenes like this in Britain, where you just see a whole house gutted, smouldering.”
Announcing a temporary ban on disposable barbecues - which applies to Wales, Scotland and England, but not Northern Ireland – Andy Burnham described Britain as a 'tinderbox'.
He also warned smokers against lighting up outdoors and urged them to dispose of cigarettes carefully.
Mr Burnham said: “The temporary ban on barbecues, disposable barbecues, comes in today. All retailers will be receiving notification of that ban, and we ask them to, obviously, implement it in full until further notice when we can remove it.”
“I would also want to say to the public, you can see what’s happening: 37 significant fires across England and Wales. Please do not light an open fire, a bonfire of any kind.
“If you’re disposing of a cigarette, take great care. This is obviously a really combustible situation, literally.
“We need to respect that fact and make sure that no-one is taking any risk, because you’re taking risks with other people’s homes, with other people’s lives if you act recklessly in this moment.”
The Prime Minister added: “Britain is a tinderbox right now, and please just have that in your mind.”
Mr Burnham said the Met Office believed the dry spell would last until the end of September, when some rain was expected.
He said: “Maybe some rainfall, but not as much as we need, and then we are heading straight into a very, very wet latter part of the year, where the risk of flooding will be maybe greater because of the dry ground conditions.”