Huge grass fire breaks out in east London amid 'exceptionally high' wildfire threat

Around 60 firefighters are tackling a grass fire in east London amid an “exceptionally high” wildfire threat for the capital.Eight fire engines have been sent to tackle the blaze near Bridport Avenue in Romford where around three acres of grassland are on fire on Wednesday.The London Fire Brigade has warned people to stay away from the area where possible.The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of 11 calls to the fire at 4.15pm and sent crews from Leytonstone, Wennington, Homerton, Bethnal Green and surrounding fire stations to the scene. As of 5.45pm they were still battling the blaze.The cause of the fire is not known at this time.The UK Fire Severity Index map, produced by the Met Office and managed by Natural England, evaluates how severe a fire could become if one were to start. However, for Wednesday severity was upgraded to “exceptionally high” in parts of the capital, including in Bromley, Croydon, Dartford, Erith, and Thamesmead.