Fires across England and Wales have prompted a national government alert warning people not to light anything that could spark a wildfire.

The warning on Friday evening came as it was revealed 19 homes were destroyed and a further 18 damaged in a huge fire in Stourbridge, West Midlands, that spread rapidly through grass and woodland on Thursday before damaging homes.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told members of the public to take the warning “seriously”, adding it was triggered at the request of firefighters.

West Midlands Fire Service chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said the Stourbridge blaze was one of the most significant incidents the service had ever dealt with.

It was one of several fires being dealt with across England and Wales on Friday.

• In Wales, a major incident was declared near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, after dozens of homes were evacuated and roads closed

• In Hampshire, firefighters spent a sixth day tackling a wildfire in the New Forest, Hampshire, which broke out on Sunday.

• Sixteen emergencies were tackled by Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service on Thursday afternoon, including a fire at Mousehold Heath, off Gurney Road in the city.

• Elsewhere in the West Midlands fires caused extensive damage in Warstock and Kings Norton, Birmingham on Thursday. A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life .

• In Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday four homes in Sandyford were destroyed, with other properties damaged. Two people were arrested on suspicion of arson. Six firefighters were taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.

• In Willenhall, West Midlands, at least three homes and several gardens were destroyed in fires on Stonehouse Avenue and Harry Perks Street.

Investigators said they were working with other emergency services to establish how the Stourbridge fire started, with police saying they were keeping an open mind.

Some of the worst-affected areas have been cordoned off and many residents who were evacuated, including the Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverand Martin Gorick, have not been able to return home.

The prime minister visited Stourbridge earlier and described the scene as “devastating”.

He said the country was a “tinderbox” and warned the coming weekend could be difficult, while promising extra support for emergency services.

The government has also announced a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues, saying they had been responsible for serious fires this summer.

Burnham said 37 fires were currently burning across England and Wales, although not all had been caused by disposable barbecues.

Mike Davis, who was evacuated from his home in Stourbridge with his family, said they were told by police to leave and did not know whether their home would still be standing when they returned.

“It was a hell of a scene… thick smoke and just something I’ve never seen before,” he said.

“We just grabbed a few things and headed out.”

Jane Baxter, whose home backs on to the golf course, said she and her husband had only minutes to collect essential belongings before being told to leave.

“It was literally grab what you needed and get out and within about four or five minutes the police knocked on the door again and said, ‘You really have got to get out now’.”

The fire also threatened a nearby equestrian centre. Staff at the Sugarloaf Equestrian Centre rushed to rescue horses as flames approached.

Abbie Harvey said the fire was already burning in a field where horses were being kept and that she and colleagues had to work quickly to save them. She said the heat was so intense they could “feel it burning our legs”.

Two people from Stourbridge were taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation, while firefighters were also injured across the West Midlands.

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