‘Major incident’ in South Yorkshire stood down - police

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue declared the major incident on Tuesday due to the severity and volume of calls they received, which they called “a hell of a day” for the county.

Families were left homeless, houses in Maltby and Kiveton Park (above) were reduced to charred ruins and whole fields turned black within minutes as Rotherham was hit with a wave of fires during this week’s heatwave.

On Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “The number of fires being dealt with by emergency services has reduced significantly, but the fire service warns that conditions remain extremely dry and the risk of fire is still very high.”

They advised: “People should avoid burning garden waste, not take BBQs to places like parks and countryside and take all rubbish with them to reduce the risk of fires starting.”