Ceremony Held To Pay Tribute To Brave Firefighters Across London.

A special ceremony was held yesterday Wednesday 19 April, at the Town Hall in Romford to pay tribute to our firefighters for their heroic actions last summer, including battling the Wennington fire.

July 19 2022 is a day most Havering residents will remember, the day Wennington was alight and many families lost not only their homes and pets, but everything they owned. It was recorded as the hottest day of the year since records began, with temperatures across London reaching over 35c by 10am.

The London Fire Brigade recorded seven times more calls than on an average day and had multiple incidents across London. It was declared the busiest day since the Second World War as a major incident was called.

In Havering, firefighters had battled a fire over night in Hornchurch that was still burning at 6am. As they finished tackling that fire, another broke out on Pea Lane in Upminster that spread rapidly and became a 30 pump fire. Firefighters were on scene for several hours as fields burned across Upminster and smoke could be seen across the borough.

Just after 1pm, a compost heap in Wennington caught alight and began to spread. As firefighters were still in Upminster, they received calls to attend a fire in Wennington. At this stage our firefighters had already tackled two blazes and were on their way to tackle the biggest fire Havering has ever seen.

Wennington fields quickly caught alight due to the already dry conditions the ground had suffered. Images on television showed Wennington burning and what seemed to be a Hollywood film, but sadly was not.

Families living in the nearby houses were told to rush to their property and quickly grab what they could, others were not so lucky. One resident actually stated that it took just two minutes for her home to be destroyed due to the incredible intensity of the Fire.

Havering’s Mayor Councillor Trevor McKeever who is a retired firefighter, was at the scene on the day to provide water and shelter for our firefighters and spoke of how his phone began to melt due to the level of heat.

It was a horrendous day for 19 families who lost everything except the clothes on their back. It was also a horrendous day for our firefighters who worked with out any respite. They were still battling the Wennington fire and a Dagenham fire in the early hours of the morning. They were tired, dehydrated and 16 had suffered heat related issues.

Not only had they had to put out some of the biggest fires of their lives, but they were then faced with the heartbreaking challenge of having to tell families that their homes had been destroyed.

No amount of praise can ever justify the incredible level of work and bravery our firefighters showed not just on that day, but everyday across Havering and the capital. Their heroism saved lives- not one life was taken during the multiple fires that day.

Yesterday, our Mayor Councillor McKeever paid his respects to our firefighters and awarded them with Civic Awards for their incredible bravery.

Havering’s Leader of the Council Councillor Ray Morgon was also present to not only offer his sincere thanks, but also add his praise and support for the work our firefighters do everyday.

Also present was London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Stations Spencer Sutcliff, who also offered his praise for his officers for their amazing work across London.

Their bravery saved lives, their dedication saw fires put out that could indeed have burned for days, their unquestionable heroism will be remembered across London and Havering for years to come.

Havering Borough Commander Paul MClenaghan who is a real community hero, with Havering’s Mayor.

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