A man has told how he has lost "a hell of a lot" and his children have been left "frightened" after a fire ripped through their garden and damaged part of their home in Harold Hill.
Terry Richards lives with his three children, aged 16, 14 and 12, as well as his wife in a council-owned property in Woodbridge Close.
Their garden was one of seven subjected to severe fire damage after a blaze broke out shortly after 6pm last Wednesday (July 29), which also left several of the house's bedrooms uninhabitable.
This day was the busiest day of 2026 for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) with control officers answering more than 1,300 emergency calls across the 24 hours.
Speaking to the Recorder, Terry recounted: “I was on my way to a car show at Battlesbridge with my dad so I wasn’t even home at the time.
“We were actually talking about the fires recently and as we pulled up, my daughter rang me hysterical and said the house was on fire and it just all went mad from then.
"My middle child - my son - spotted the flames in the garden because his desk looks out onto it and he shouted for my wife."
Terry immediately drove home where he found a team of roughly 40 firefighters tackling the blaze.
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“We had a big conifer tree in our garden but that went up and I had a shed with all my tools in which I’ve lost," he said.
“I’ve lost a hell of a lot. Because the heat was so intense, it’s melted all the window frames and blown all the windows out.
“There’s smoke damage in my little girl’s room."
Due to the bedroom damage, Terry said his family have all been sleeping in the front room and will continue to do so until repairs are done.
Havering Council has been dealing with the aftermath because the property is council-owned.
However, because Terry landscaped the garden himself he will have to redo it without council help.
“It’s caused so much damage – it’s scary," he said.
“I’d never dream of anything like this ever happening and I’ve always been cautious about fire.
“I’ve been here 13 years and we’ve got a barbecue shack with an extinguisher and I’ve got two extinguishers in each shed.
“I’m not sure I want to cook a barbecue anymore."
Despite the extensive damage, Terry said he also felt a sense of gratitude as nobody was hurt.
“Everyone was alright – it could have been worse," he said.
“That’s the main thing – as long as the kids and the families are okay.
“Under my tree was a little pool and my kids were in it that afternoon. I think the kids have been frightened.
“Us adults think about things and after a while we can rebuild, but the kids struggle."
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Although the cause of the fire remains unconfirmed, Terry said he believes people should be "better prepared" and "better educated" about the dangers of fire.
“I think people need educating more, especially with barbecues and the disposable ones," he added.
“Once a tree goes up, it goes up like a fireball.
"It's not just your own home you could damage - there's been seven homes affected here".
An LFB spokesperson confirmed six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze, which they said broke out in Woodbridge Lane - connecting to Woodbridge Close.
They said: "The fire affected seven rear gardens, covering an area of around 100 square metres, including a series of outbuildings which were destroyed by the fire.
"There are no reports of any injuries.
"Control Officers took the first of 31 calls at 6.06pm and mobilised crews from Tottenham, Homerton, Holloway and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
"The fire was extinguished by 7.53pm.
"The cause of the fire has been recorded as undetermined."
Leader of Havering Council, Cllr Keith Prince, said: "Havering Council has moved quickly to support the family and begin recovery works at a Council property in Woodbridge Close, Romford, following damage from a garden fire last week.
"Council officers visited the home, met with residents to understand the impact of the incident, and provided reassurance that assistance would be made available.
"A programme of repairs and clean-up works was put in place immediately, including the removal of fire-damaged debris from the garden, assessments of trees affected by the blaze, and arrangements to replace damaged boundary fencing, windows, guttering and a rear gate.
"The Council also offered support with internal redecoration work where smoke damage had occurred and worked with contractors to begin site visits and surveys as quickly as possible to help the family return to normality.
"Recognising the distress caused by the incident, officers also discussed welfare support with the family and have remained in contact to ensure they receive any further assistance they may need while recovery work continues."
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