People would have probably lost their homes in Monday’s grass fire in Dagenham, east London, were it not for the actions of maintenance workers, according to the council leader.<\/b><\/p>\n
The fire broke out behind Clemence Road, which backs on to Beam Parklands, at about 18:30 BST on Monday. The blaze, which covered about eight hectares (20 acres), was tackled by more than 120 firefighters.<\/p>\n
Barking and Dagenham Council leader Dominic Twomey said the fire would have spread to homes if maintenance workers – who he described as “unsung heroes” – had not cut fire breaks into the grass over recent weeks.<\/p>\n