Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleRich AmofaThursday 13 August 2026 21:04 BSTFires rage across West MidlandsA child and three firefighters have been hospitalised after a major grass fire that affected six houses and 40 acres of land near Stourbridge golf course on the UK's hottest day of the year.Around 60 firefighters are battling the blaze, which forced the evacuation of local residents and care home occupants, while Stourbridge Town Hall was opened as an emergency rescue centre.Local councillor Andrew Tromans described the scenes as apocalyptic and called for an urgent emergency council meeting to address the severe local impacts of climate change.Wildfires caused widespread regional disruption, forcing the closure of the M6 northbound motorway due to thick smoke and leading to a major incident declaration in Salford Priors.Severn Trent Water warned that fire services using hydrants to battle the blazes could cause temporary low water pressure and discolouration for residents across the West Midlands.In fullTwo injured and multiple houses on fire as major incident declared in West MidlandsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in