Disposable barbecues at A-level results celebration party linked to wildfire that destroyed millionaires' row - as Burnham bans their sale

Fire chiefs are investigating whether A-level students lighting barbecues to celebrate their results started a wildfire that destroyed six homes on a millionaires' row.

Among the houses torn apart by the blazes in Stourbridge, West Midlands, were those on Brunswick Gate – the town's most expensive street.

It comes as the Government called in the army and banned disposable barbecues after 'tinderbox' Britain continued to swelter in a heatwave today.

Paramedics treated 54 people in the West Midlands, with 19 admitted to hospital, after several wildfires broke out yesterday during Britain's fifth warmest day on record. 

Some 19 homes were fully destroyed and 18 damaged by a major wildfire which spread across 500 acres in Stourbridge, injuring six people including three firefighters. 

Emergency services are looking into reports that the fires could be linked to Year 13 students lighting barbecues and burning notepads after receiving their exam scores.

A TikTok craze sees some youngsters film themselves lighting up paperwork, with fire investigators now considering whether the activity could have caused the chaos.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed the rumours were shared with fire crews, who have so far found no direct evidence to support the theory but remain open-minded.

WMFS told the Birmingham Mail: 'At this stage, we would not want to blame young people or any particular groups of people but our investigations are at an early stage.'