A major wildfire has been declared in Hankley Common area, near Elstead, Surrey on Sunday. 

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service in a tweet, said: We have declared a major incident at Hankley Common due to a large fire in the open. We have several fire engines in attendance. There is a great deal of smoke so please avoid the area, windows and doors should be closed if nearby and pets kept indoors. 

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“Please avoid the area to allow our crews to work. Stay out of the smoke and far away from the fire as it can travel quickly,” authorities further added. 

Several social media users posted pictures and videos of the wildfire. Smoke can be seen filling the sky. 

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“Another fire at Hankley Common, taken about an hour ago. Hoping that the brave emergency services can get this under control. Shame on those who carelessly or deliberately trigger these fires. Nothing to do with #climatechange…newsflash…it’s usually hot and dry in summer!” a user tweeted. 

“Blue skies now hazy with smoke, can smell it in the air and the sun is casting a orange tint on the ground,” another ne tweeted. 

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“This is absolutely shocking. I’m in Ashford and the smoke is horrific – we are miles away! My garden is full of smoke. So sad ? Thoughts go out to all our firefighters #fire #SURREY,” a third one said. 

The Surrey incident comes as several major cities in the UK and Europe are witnessing wildfires.  Fire crews in London are battling blazes in Rammey Marsh in Enfield, and Cranford Park in Hayes.

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Woodland is littered with combustible material, says Johann Goldammer, head of the Global Fire Monitoring Center, an advisory body to the United Nations. That includes things like dead tree trunks and fallen branches, dead leaves and desiccated grass.

“This is why we have unprecedented wildfire risk: because never before in history — say, the last 1,000 or 2,000 years — has there been so much flammable material around,” he said.