Britain counts cost of hottest day ever

Firefighters tackle a grass fire during the heatwave in Mow Cop, Staffordshire, Britain, July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Carl Recine

LONDON (Reuters) - Firefighters worked through the night to damp down wildfires and engineers raced on Wednesday to fix train tracks that buckled in the heat as Britain woke up to the aftermath of its hottest ever day.

The London Fire Brigade endured its busiest day since World War Two on Tuesday when temperatures topped 40C for the first time, igniting fires that destroyed dozens of properties in the capital and sent flames racing through tinderbox-dry grassland at the sides of railway tracks and roads.