A wildfire and a housefire broke out in the Reading area on the hottest days the town has ever seen.

Blazes which lit up part of Sulham Woods on Monday and destroyed a home in Woodley on Tuesday, which was the busiest day for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue (RBFS) since records began.

The University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory recorded 37.6C, smashing the previous record, 36.4C, in a ‘tremendous’ climate shift.

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Katie Mills, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “With temperatures soaring over the past few days, we have faced an extremely high demand for our services both from within Royal Berkshire and in neighbouring counties.

“Since Saturday, 16 July, Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) has taken well over 1,000 calls and on the hottest day, Tuesday, 19 July, TVFCS staff took more than 550 calls.

“I want to take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding efforts of our teams that have ensured that we continued to respond to those in need during this extremely challenging time.

“Although the Met Office’s Red Weather warning for extreme heat has passed, conditions remain extremely dry and we must remain alert to the risk of wildfire in the coming days. Please continue to follow our important safety messaging on our website.”

A woman lost their home and possessions on the day of her husband’s funeral, after a fire in Selsdon Avenue at 2.20pm, according to a fundraising page.

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Dark, black smoke could be seen bellowing from streets away as firefighters rescued two people from two semi-detached houses with an aerial ladder.

On the other side of Reading, crews fought to contain a wildfire near Sulham Hill from 6am for several hours.

Extreme heat warnings covered Reading and the county, leaving the environment ‘like kindling’, according to one fire station manager who was called to a wildfire in Yateley, across the county border near Sandhurst, on July 15.

RBFS attended a fire that had spread from a bin to hedges in Dunt Lane Hurst, providing emergency care to one casualty on Tuesday.

On Monday, crews were in Pinebeams extinguishing two sheds and a garden fence which caught alight.

Mortimer Fire Station alone responded to 19 fire calls in Reading , Maidenhead, Slough, Buckinghamshire and a high rise fire in London.