About 100 firefighters are at work on Tuesday afternoon battling a blaze that is ravaging a village east of London in record-breaking heat in the UK, firefighters said.

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According to images taken from a Sky News helicopter, the fire swept through expanses of vegetation and destroyed several buildings and houses in the village of Wennington, about thirty kilometers from central London.

About 100 firefighters and 15 devices were deployed, London firefighters said on Twitter.

Faced with “several large fires across the capital during the record heat wave today”, firefighters in London have launched an emergency procedure which allows more resources to be deployed in terms of rescue services.

Several grassland fires are reported in several suburban areas of London.

Under the effect of the heat wave which is hitting Europe, the United Kingdom has exceeded the 40°C threshold for the first time, with 40.2°C recorded at London's Heathrow airport , according to the British weather agency Met Office.