The UK's Network Rail has shared images of a train track engulfed in flames as the nation battles a sweltering heatwave. As reported by <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/11/spark-causes-london-train-tracks-to-burst-into-flames-16979125/">Metro</a>, Network Rail believes that "very dry" beams could be to blame for the blaze, after potentially igniting as the result of a "stray spark". It comes as much of the UK is battling 30C temperatures this Monday. The track fire reportedly took place on a bridge in Battersea, London, and subsequently resulted in delays and suspensions for services running between Victoria and Brixton. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/tom_guard/status/1546406784512008193/]] Chris Denham, a spokesman for Network Rail Southern Region explained to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11002227/UK-heatwave-travel-Rail-tracks-set-alight-spark-ignites-timber.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MailOnline</a>: "We were called to a fire on a bridge in Battersea around 4.30 AM this morning, where a wooden beam was alight. We closed the lines on the bridge while the fire was being tackled by our friends at London Fire Brigade, and it was put out by 6 AM." He added that they were able to reopen all three tracks on the bridge by 8.45 AM - but that repairs will still need to be carried out. "We'll need to do some repair work, notably to a walkway that was damaged in the blaze, and we're working on a plan for doing that as we speak. The cause of the fire is under investigation," he said. <img class="wp-image-1263161197 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2022/07/networkrail.jpg" alt="" width="1535" height="800" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sam Oaksey / Alamy]] Meanwhile, the heatwave is likely to cause more problems for the UK's train service. Network Rail has reportedly warned that "extremely high temperatures" could cause tracks to "expand and sometimes buckle" - an event that would cause major disruptions. The <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2022/extreme-heat-warning-issued">Met Office</a> has issued an extreme heat weather warning as the heatwave continues, advising vulnerable people to stay out of the heat. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1546481570458046464]] The amber warning has been issued for Sunday (17 July), as temperatures are expected to be in excess of 35C in the southeast, and more widely around 32C within the warning area.  Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2022/extreme-heat-warning-issued" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a>: "Most of us can enjoy the hot weather when it arrives, but it is important to keep yourself hydrated and to find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm." <img class="wp-image-1263161198 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2022/07/2JG718R-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1437" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Simon Dack News / Alamy]] "If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather," Dr Sousa added. <h6>Featured image credit: Jack Boskett / Alamy</h6>

Network Rail reveals tracks caught fire as a result of 'dry beams' in scorching heatwave

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