The chief fire officer (CFO) of West Midlands Fire Service has urged residents to take extra care during the current spell of hot weather after firefighters were hospitalised tackling a deliberate grass fire.

Simon Tuhill said crews have faced an "exceptionally challenging" few weeks as the soaring temperatures and dry conditions have led to a surge in outdoor fires across the region.

He said a significant grass fire in West Bromwich came within metres of people's homes and is believed to have been started deliberately.

"A recent incident was a very significant grass fire in West Bromwich, and it came within metres of people's homes," he said.

"What made it particularly concerning to us is that we believe it was started deliberately."

Mr Tuhill said three firefighters and a member of the public required treatment for heat exposure at the incident, with two firefighters taken to hospital for checks.

"I'm really clear that no firefighter should end up in hospital because somebody started a fire on purpose," he added.

The CFO said the service has experienced a sustained period of high demand, with fire control staff handling more than 4,600 calls in the seven days to Friday, compared with around 1,800 during the same period last year.

During that week, crews attended almost 1,100 incidents, including around 400 outdoor grass fires and wildfires.

He also condemned reports of people setting off fireworks during the hot weather.

"We are hearing that some people have even been setting off fireworks during this exceptionally hot and dry weather," he said.

"I can't stress strongly enough just how much I condemn this and how dangerous it is."

The CFO then went on to commend the members of his team, saying: "Over the last few weeks, I've attended several incidents and seen first-hand the professionalism, resilience, commitment our crews have and the sheer hard work it takes to extinguish this type of fire.

"And that hard work extends beyond the firefighters but also to our fire control staff, the officers and specialist teams and all of the colleagues who work behind the scenes to keep our emergency response going," he added.

"I am so incredibly proud of all of them.

Mr Tuhill also urged residents to help reduce the risk of fires while the dry conditions continue.

"But my message to everyone is please, at the moment, do not light fires in your garden or indeed anywhere outdoors," he said.

He also urged smokers to make sure cigarette ends were fully extinguished and called on residents not to use disposable barbecues or set off fireworks.

"If you do know anyone who's been deliberately setting fires, you can report it anonymously to fire stoppers and just think carefully about our actions while the conditions remain this dry".

"If you see an emergency or see a fire, please call 999 and we'll be on the way as soon as we can".