Fire engulfs homes near London as temperatures hit record high

London: On July 19, Britain recorded its highest ever temperature of 40°C (104°F) as a heatwave gripping Europe intensified. The Met Office said the provisional record, which still needs to be confirmed, was recorded at 12.50 pm (1150 GMT) at London's Heathrow Airport, surpassing the previous high of 38.7C recorded in 2019. Stephen Belcher at the Met Office said he had not expected to see such temperatures in Britain in his career.