A couple has described the devastation of losing their home of 26 years to a wildfire in Stourbridge. Robin and Loxie Williams returned to their four-bedroom house on Ounty John Lane to find firefighters battling the blaze.

"Somebody sent us a clip, which we couldn't believe," said Loxie, 78. "When you saw those flames coming out of the top you just couldn't believe it."

They had been out with friends last Thursday when the fire broke out. Upon their return, they discovered roads were closed and watched news reports of their neighborhood going up in flames on television.

Nineteen properties across five streets were completely destroyed in the fires that erupted in Stourbridge and other parts of the West Midlands during the hottest day of the year so far. An additional 18 properties in the town sustained damage. The couple learned that rebuilding their home could take more than two years. Among the few salvaged items were a teacup, some paperwork, and the remnants of clothing left in the kitchen. Loxie recalled doing the ironing that morning, unaware of the inferno to come.

The shell of a two-storey fire-damaged home with its roof and windows missing

A woman with brown hair, glasses and a white patterned T-shirt next to a man with a green cap, blue shirt and sunglasses with one arm over her shoulder and the remains of their fire-damaged home behind them

Farmers were seen creating firebreaks in fields in an effort to contain the spread of flames.

Farmers in green tractors create firebreaks to stop the spread of flames in a field.