Wildfire in UK stops unexpectedly at top of cross

People are taking notice of a recent wildfire that stopped at the beginning of a huge white chalk cross in a field in England. 

In July the United Kingdom was under an unusual heat wave, which was causing some wildfires. 

Breaking out in one field, a fire raged onward, until it came to the top of a big white cross, a war memorial for WWI soldiers that never came home. The names of those who died in World War II were later added to stones inside the perimeter of the cross. 

The cross known as "The Chalk Cross" is carved into the chalk on the North Downs hill above the village of Lenham, according to War Memorials Online.  Its vast size measures more than 200 feet by 69 feet. 

Back in 1922, the cross was designed by a local teacher but the name of Mr. C.H. Groom, paid for by donations from people in the village. 

While the field was burned, no part of the white cross was touched by fire, leaving some locals scratching their heads in amazement. 

In 2017, after the cross was officially registered as a war memorial by Historic England, Parish councillor Mike Cockett shared with Christian Today that the memorial is one of the first places they take visitors to see.