Stourbridge residents slam Burnham’s heatwave response as ‘pathetic’ as their houses burn

Lib Dem councillor says the fires are ‘the worst thing that has happened in a long time’ to the West Midlands town (Photo: WikipediaCommons)

In Stourbridge, in the West Midlands, residents were returning to their homes on Sunday after 300 of them were evacuated due to fires. 

Residents had to grab their belongings and run for their lives as flames engulfed homes in minutes. Fires destroyed 19 homes and damaged 19 more. 

Some 54 people needed treatment from the West Midlands ambulance service on Thursday, including 19 who were hospitalised. Residents of a care home were among those who had to evacuate. 

Fire brigades union leader Steve Wright called for an increase of 5,000 frontline firefighters, as well as better protective equipment. Six firefighters were among those hospitalised with heat exhaustion during the Stourbridge fire. 

Andrew Tromans, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Stourbridge told Socialist Worker, “It’s probably the worst thing that has happened in Stourbridge in a very long time. It has had an impact across the whole town.”

The Old Swinford Hospital boarding school opened its doors for people who had been evacuated. People also took in neighbours and even went out with buckets to try to douse the smouldering fields nearby.

“What we have seen is when there is an emergency people pull together,” said Andrew. “People kept asking me what they can do to help. Places have actually stopped taking donations now because they have more than enough. 

“It goes against what Margaret Thatcher said about there being no such thing as society. We are social creatures and our instinct is to help people.”

But, with the prime minister using a national mobile phone alert system merely to tell people not to use a barbecue, the government has failed to address the scale of climate breakdown. 

And on Dudley council, where Stourbridge is located, Reform UK won 22 out of 25 seats up for election this May. This is a third of the overall number of council seats. 

In councils where Reform UK dominates, the far right party has overturned declarations of a climate emergency and tried to deny the reality of what is happening to the climate. 

Andrew said, “The initial focus has to be on putting out the fires while the emergency is on. But there has been a disturbing lack of discussion of climate change.”

There had been rumours that glass bottles left by people watching the solar eclipse the previous evening had started the fire. People have also speculated about arson. 

“But it doesn’t explain why the ground is so dry in the first place,” said Andrew. 

“It’s obviously happening not just here but across the country. We do need to have a national conversation about how we prepare. 

“One thing I would like to see is to show the National Emergency Briefing film on public television. And, I’ve called for an emergency meeting of the council to discuss preparedness. 

“We do need to think about the political response and how we prepare for more long, hot summers. It’s worrying that Andy Burnham has not said much about climate change.”

Laurence Green, who was evacuated in the Stourbridge fires said, “We should have woken up to what’s happening climate wise.” Green called the prime minister’s temporary ban on disposable barbecues a “pathetic” response. 

Andrew added, “If this becomes a more regular feature of our lives we will have to be better prepared. We do need to have a conversation about climate change because it’s escalating quicker than we thought.”