Prime Minister Andy Burnham urges the public to take a wildfire emergency alert "seriously", after it was sent to millions in England and Wales
The alert warns against "any activity that could start a fire", saying there is a "very high risk of wildfires nationally" - see the full message
This is the biggest use yet of the emergency alert system, writes Chris Mason, as the first secretary of state says the choice to use it "reflects the seriousness with which the government is acting"
It comes after nineteen houses have been "fully destroyed" in Stourbridge as crews continue to tackle multiple blazes in the West Midlands
On a visit to Stourbridge earlier, the PM warned the country is like a "tinderbox" - fires have also been tackled in other parts of England and Wales
Earlier, the fire service said the situation has "vastly improved" in the West Midlands - but people have been returning to destroyed homes. Michael in Pershore described flames spreading from tree-to-tree within seconds
Chloe Hughes
West Midlands
More photos are coming in from Stourbridge where several homes have been completely destroyed.
These images show family homes completely gutted and unrecognisable, as well as residents walking away with bags of possessions.
Image source, Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Image source, Jacob King/PA
Image source, Jacob King/PA
Image source, Temilade Adelaja/ReutersDet Insp Emma Kempson, of Staffordshire Police, said the investigation into the Goldenfill fire was "continuing at pace" and had culminated in today's arrests.
She said the nearby Goldenhill Community Centre had been set up to provide support for people affected by the blaze but the hub was now being moved to the area's working men's club.
“We’ve still got a number of officers in the area today," she added.
"I can assure the local community we are actively working to investigate this surge in recent fires across Staffordshire.”
Two people have been arrested in connection with the fire in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent.
A 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, both from the city, were detained on Friday morning and were being held on suspicion of arson, Staffordshire Police confirmed.
Fire crews have scaled back their presence at the fire at Salford Priors, Warwickshire.
A major incident was declared after the blaze broke out on Tothall Lane during Thursday afternoon. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service withdrew the declaration at about 21:00 BST as the fire was brought under control.
In an update today, the service said one crew remained at the scene to monitor and dampen down any hot spots.
Members of a Stourbridge horse riding school have detailed the "really scary" moment their legs were burning as they tried to save as many as eight horses.
Abbie Harvey, from The Sugarloaf Equestrian Centre, said she ran towards the horses after witnessing Norton Road be "engulfed" by flames.
"I dumped my car and pegged it across the road, and we managed to get [the horses]," she said.
"By the time the horse box came the fire was behind us and my legs were burning - that's how close it was.We were being engulfed in smoke, ash was coming over and it was really scary."
Image source, Abbie HarveyThe girls were then asked to help evacuate residents before they went on to save five more horses from another nearby field.
"So we're running around the cul-de-sacs, we're running around the houses and getting everyone out," Harvey said.
Three homes were also affected in Coventry on Thursday, with fire spreading to a row of terraced gardens, and two people were taken to hospital, the fire service said.
About 25 firefighters were called to Yelverton Road and Rollason Road shortly after 13:40 on Thursday.
Image source, West Midlands Fire ServiceWest Midlands Fire Service has said it is continuing to extinguish hot spots across open grassland, along the railway embankment and in gardens.
In an update, they said their resources were split across:
Image source, WMFSA spokesperson said: "Our priorities remain the same: To damp down affected areas, extinguish hot spots and prevent further fire spread.
"Thank you to everyone who has donated food, drinks and other resources to emergency services staff at the scene.
"We are now at capacity. Please don’t travel to the area to make donations, and please, continue to respect any police cordons while we work at this incident."
Chloe Hughes
West Midlands
Image source, Jacob King/PAAt the moment, it seems like fires around the region are non-stop, but why does an area like the West Midlands seem to be suffering so much?
That, says Dr Kerryn Little - a postdoctoral wildfire researcher at the University of Birmingham - is because there are lots of places where vegetation and urban areas, full of people, meet.
Combined with the hot weather, vegetation is dry and "ready to burn".
"There's a high amount of people moving around, resulting in ignitions," she said.
"When that meets with large areas of continuous vegetation that is built up, that can lead to wildfires."
She said that in the UK, wildfires were "overwhelmingly" caused by human ignitions, most of them unintentional.
"There are about 30,000 each year, overwhelmingly, more than 99% are caused by humans."
Little said one of the "major risks" in the region was disposable barbecues - something behind several large fires recently including one at Cannock Chase which destroyed a football pitch-sized area of protected heath-land.
There have also been a spate of intentional fires across the region in recent weeks, with fire bosses repeatedly sharing messaging about the far-reaching consequences to try and deter people.
Fire crews have continued to work in and around Sandy Road in Stoke-on-Trent today.
Earlier, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said six crew members were taken to hospital as a result of the smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
Several homes had to be evacuated and the nearby Goldenhill Community Centre has opened its doors for residents who need support.
Jordan Kenny
BBC Newsbeat presenter
Izzy (left) and Abbie say they only just managed to save their horse
We've just spoken to Izzy Williams and Abbie Harvey who have returned to the police cordon at the Stourbridge fire this morning.
They're from nearby Sugarloaf Equestrian Centre which is very close to where the fires started on Thursday afternoon.
Abbie, 28, says they rushed to check on the horses after seeing the smoke "but the flames were on the road".
"The field was already on fire with the horses in," she says.
"We managed to get three of them out but at one point on Racecourse Lane where the fire was, we were trapped, the top of the road where the golf course is was on fire, the house at the bottom of the road was on fire."
She says the fire was behind them as they tried to get the horses to safety and "you could feel it burning our legs".
Izzy, 20, says it feels surreal that this has happened to them and "being in that situation is awful".
"I am so proud of the team that we got there and stayed calm and got it all sorted, but it was horrendous," she says.
Image source, ReutersWest Midlands Ambulance Service has confirmed it treated 54 casualties at eight different fires across the region, on Thursday. Nineteen people were taken to hospital for treatment.
In the West Midlands:
14:35 - Paramedics were called to a fire on Norton Road in Stourbridge where six people were treated, two of whom, a woman and a boy, were transported to Russell’s Hall Hospital with the effects of smoke inhalation.
16:41 - Crews attended a garden fire near to the junction of Thorne Road and Dingle Lane in Willenhall where six patients were treated before being discharged at the scene.
17:02 - In Oldbury, a man was treated near Brandhall Golf Course for the effects of smoke inhalation before he was discharged at the scene.
17:24 - Paramedics were sent to Prince of Wales Lane where two patients needed to be taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and two further patients were discharged at the scene.
18:50 - A fire on Papyrus Way, Hodge Hill saw four ambulances attend where nine patients in total were taken to hospital after being treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. Four more were discharged at the scene.
In Staffordshire:
17:12 - The service was called to the junction of Maureen Avenue and Sandy Road in Stoke on Trent where it assessed 11 patients, six of whom were taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with the effects of smoke inhalation, whilst five others were discharged at the scene.
In Worcestershire:
15:04 - In Evesham, paramedics attended a on School Road where seven patients were assessed but none required hospital treatment.
16:23 - Crews attended Three Springs Road in Pershore where six patients in total were treated and all were later discharged at the scene.
This aerial image shows a row of houses which were destroyed by fire beside a railway line in Stourbridge.
Several properties were reduced to charred ruins in a blaze that took hold there on Thursday afternoon.
The fire service says it believes the fire started from nearby grassland and spread to the homes.
The blazes across the West Midlands are the latest in a series of severe fires that have affected England and Wales, including one in the New Forest that continues to burn after more than five days.
James Pearson
in Pershore
Michael Ruff returned to his house on Lancelott Court in Pershore this morning and found it had been severely damaged by the fire.
A large portion of the roof was missing, the windows were blown out and all the family’s belongings were burnt or destroyed.
Ruff, a builder, stayed at his brother’s house last night along with his partner Caela and their three teenage sons.
He said he remembered seeing embers flying everywhere and heard a series of explosions when the fire broke out.
His family were safe, Ruff added, and they were all relieved nobody was hurt.
“On a different day it might have been different,” he said.
“It’s just the way the wind was blowing. From tree-to-tree, it took just seconds and then they were gone.”
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service says six firefighters were taken to hospital after attending the fire in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, as a result of smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
One is still in hospital on Friday morning, according to the service.
Jordan Kenny
BBC Newsbeat presenter
Police are still blocking off a main road leading to where the worst of the fire was on Thursday afternoon
It's eerily quiet in Stourbridge this morning, compared to last night when the sound of crackling and burning filled the air, alongside fire engine and police sirens.
A single police car is blocking Norton Road at the junction with Osmaston Road, a good few hundred metres from where the worst of the fires were blazing on Thursday afternoon and evening.
Empty water bottles and discarded food packaging are also visible at the side of the road, a reminder of the help locals provided to firefighters last night.
Every now and again someone wanders up to the police cordon to chat to the officers stood there to see if or when they can head home, but it looks like they're going to have to wait a while longer.
Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles has said she believes about "20 to 30 homes have been completely destroyed" by yesterday's fire.
She said the figure was still yet to be confirmed but that is what she had heard while helping at Stourbridge Town Hall.
"There were hundreds of people evacuated and there were many homes affected by the smoke not just the ones directly impacted by fire," she said.
"Yesterday, I was at the Town Hall, which is being used a rest centre and evacuation centre and I spoke to so many people who have lost everything.
"You just don't have the words to know what to say to them other than to try and support them the best you can."
Eccles added: "It's really hard to find the words other than to say it's absolutely devastating, shocking and really upsetting.
"What I would say is how amazing it has been to see our community come together and the amazing work that the emergency services has done yesterday and last night to keep people safe."
West Midlands Fire Service said 14 crews were still working in Stourbridge to extinguish hot spots and monitor areas at risk of re-ignition.
Richard Stanton, assistant chief fire officer, said his thoughts remained with those affected.
“We know a number of families have seen their homes destroyed or seriously damaged," he added.
Crews worked throughout the night and into the morning to control the devastating fire, with Stanton describing the situation as “vastly improved" from Thursday afternoon.
Image source, PA MediaMillie Trenholm
in Pershore
Alex Hustwayte, station commander at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed the fire at Pershore was now out.
He said crews worked overnight after being first called to reports of a shed fire on Thursday afternoon.
The blaze had spread across approximately 10 to 12 back gardens, which were “quite heavily damaged”, he added.
“The crews are here just checking for hotspots, making sure the fire hasn’t spread to any other gardens and reassuring residents.”
Hustwayte said some of the people evacuated from their homes had returned to collect some possessions.
“We’re certainly in a busy period at the moment,” he added. “The area is particularly dry, we haven’t had a lot of rainfall and our crews are being stretched.
“But, just to reassure the public, we have adequate resources and we can respond to all emergencies.”
A Stourbridge farmer whose land bordered the area that went up in flames said he was just four feet away from the blaze as he and seven others attempted to create a fire breaker with their tractors.
Daniel Pardoe, of Iverley Park Farm, was at the scene from 14:00 on Thursday using his self-propelled sprayer to treat hotspots.
"It isn't our land, it's a neighbouring farm but there was about eight of us in total with various tractors and sprayers.
"I was ferrying water to try and treat hotspots. I was all over the place, basically, wherever there was water needed.
"It was just a case of communicating to try and keep ahead of it really."
Image source, Daniel PardoeAsked why he had risked his life to help, he explained: "It's a community, you help each other.
"They would do the same if it was over on our land and our properties.
"If you can help, you do don't you? That's just what you do."
He added: "The flames were about four feet away but you can only fight the ones you can get away from safely.
"You have to try and use a bit of nous, and not do anything too daft."
Rebecca Woods
BBC News
On Gorleston Road, in Warstock, residents stood in the street taking in the scene before them.
One man told me he had to leave his home until 02:30 BST, while firefighters fought the flames.
The wind threatened to fan the flames even further, but crews managed to get it under control.
This road backs on to Daisy Farm Park, where it is thought the fire started.
But as yet, due to how busy West Midlands Fire Service has been tackling the more significant fires in Stourbridge, there has been little official information about these two fires, even though multiple families here have lost their homes.