Chobham Common wildfire evacuation warning

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Media captionAerial footage from the area shows the scale of the Chobham Common fire

A large wildfire is burning on heathland in Surrey amid soaring temperatures in the south east of England.

A huge plume of smoke could be seen rising from Chobham Common as multiple fire crews were sent to tackle the flames on Friday.

Firefighters tweeted that anyone in the area should leave immediately.

The grass fire, which is larger than 40 hectares, has spread to Wentworth Golf Club.

Play was suspended at the club, with the Rose Ladies Series Grand Final brought to a halt.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Competitors took out their phones as the wildfire stopped play at Wentworth Golf Club

Smoke from the fire was visible from over 10 miles away, and some people on social media mistakenly thought it had come from Heathrow Airport.

Trains are disrupted and motorists have been told to follow Surrey Police Twitter for road closure details.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said it had sent 10 engines and 10 4x4 vehicles to help tackle the fire.

"If you are on Chobham Common please evacuate the area immediately for your safety," the service said.

Image caption People were told to evacuate the area immediately
Image caption The FBU has said crews are working in arduous conditions

A spokesman for the fire service said the alert came at about 12:25 BST.

"Approximately 41 hectares of grass and undergrowth are alight," he said.

Surrey Search and Rescue have sent a drone up to monitor the fire and tweeted they had been called out to support the fire service on the heath.

Image copyright Surrey Search and Rescue
Image caption Surrey Search and Rescue have sent a drone up to monitor the fire

Chobham Common is closed between Titlarks Hill Road and the roundabout with Windsor Road and Chertsey Road.

On its website, South Western Trains said a line was blocked at Longcross because of a fire next to the track and services may be cancelled, delayed or revised, with disruption expected until 20:00 BST.

The fire broke out as the UK was set for one of its hottest days on record, with temperatures reaching more than 36C (96.8F) in south-east England.

Surrey Fire Brigades Union has tweeted that the Surrey and neighbouring brigades are struggling to contain the fire in "arduous working conditions".

Image caption Smoke is billowing over the common