The UK summer drought has helped drive 19 wildfires across Britain, with emergency services dealing with blazes as extreme heat created ideal conditions. Claire Belcher said the ongoing firewave is the most widespread that the UK has seen.
Wildfires burned in North Yorkshire, County Durham, Greater Manchester, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon, Somerset and London over the last few days. Belcher, director of the Wildfire Lab at the University of Exeter, said climate change is making wildfires more likely.
North Wales fire response
On Monday, two fire services declared major incidents. People were evacuated from near a mountainside in north Wales, and North Wales fire and rescue service stood down the major incident at 5pm on Monday, saying it was safe for evacuated residents to return.
Cathy Augustine, the town councillor for Penmaenmawr, said some residents who had to flee were initially taken in by the Gladstone. She said: “It’s incredibly sad that the fire is in the very special Carneddau landscape – a beautiful part of north Wales but also really difficult terrain for firefighters to work in. It’s also home to important wildlife.”
Heat, smoke and risk
Maria Barbosa, a wildfire scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said several consecutive days with temperatures above 30C and little or no rain make vegetation a more available fuel source. She also said wildfire smoke can travel long distances, exposing communities far from the fire front to harmful pollutants.
Vikki Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher in impact attribution from extreme weather events at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This week parts of the UK will experience the perfect weather conditions for wildfires: hot, dry and windy. This leads to the exceptional fire danger.”
Natural England said there remained an exceptional fire risk in pockets of southern Britain, even after North Wales fire and rescue service had stood down its major incident. That means the immediate danger has eased in one area, but the wider fire risk across Britain is still active where heat, dryness and wind combine.
Belcher said: “Climate change is making wildfires more likely – with wet winters causing more vegetation growth, and prolonged heatwaves drying that vegetation – and we must manage our land better to reduce risks and stop fires spreading. The impact of wildfires on wildlife can be devastating, and restoring landscapes afterwards is really challenging.”
