Wildfires caused apocalyptic scenes on Thursday night as they engulfed homes on the hottest day of the year.Temperatures soared to a blistering 38.1C as firefighters battled several infernos across the country. Residents were forced to flee - with some told to dampen the outside of their properties first - as blazes ravaging swathes of grassland spread to homes.A train derailment in Sussex that left two people seriously injured may also have been a result of the scorching summer.A major incident was declared as six houses were destroyed by a rapidly spreading wildfire in Stourbridge - one of several blazes that left West Midlands Fire Service facing 'extreme levels of demand'.Witnesses described how the flames 'jumped from house to house' while residents grabbed what they could and fled. A child and three firefighters were taken to hospital.Drone footage from the smoke-filled skies over the leafy market town showed the blaze threatening to engulf even more properties on the edge of a badly scorched field.'Ash has been raining down on the roads for quite a few hours,' one Stourbridge resident told Sky News, describing the smoke as 'very, very strong'.Stourbridge residents were forced to flee - with some told to dampen the outside of their properties first - as blazes ravaging swathes of grassland spread to homes 'Ash has been raining down on the roads for quite a few hours,' one Stourbridge resident told Sky News, describing the smoke as 'very, very strong' A burnt-out property on Racecourse Lane, Stourbridge, reveals the destructive extent of the wildfireSimon Tuhill, chief fire officer at West Midlands Fire Service, said his team had dealt with 'thousands' of 999 calls.Local councillor Andrew Tromans said: 'The apocalyptic scenes in Norton and across Stourbridge are sadly just a taste of what is to come if we don't act.'Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the effects of the blaze were 'awful' and his 'thoughts are with everyone affected, particularly those who have been injured or forced from their homes, and with the firefighters who have been taken to hospital'.He added that he was in touch with local leaders, like the mayor of West Midlands, Richard Parker, and 'will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response'.Around 100 firefighters were tackling the inferno which broke out near Stourbridge golf course at noon, obliterating 40 acres of land. Golfers are said to have fled in their carts.One witness said he saw the fire spread rapidly, consuming hedges, power lines and even a fire engine. 'When the fire brigade finally came, the whole lot was just engulfed in flames, including the fire truck,' Michael Morgan said. 'The flames just came straight through the bushes and covered the fire truck in flames. It just engulfed it.'Resident Chris Dunnington said black smoke swept over homes from nearby fields.