The UK isn’t as widely known for experiencing intense summer wildfires as Spain, Greece and France, but rising temperatures, like this year’s trio of record-breaking heatwaves, have significantly increased the risk.
As a large-scale wildfire in Wales has been declared a “major incident”, Natural England warns that parts of the UK face an ‘exceptional’ risk of ongoing blazes – particularly in Southern England.
On Sunday 12 July, a fire broke out in the Sychnant Pass area of North Wales, affecting around 200 acres of land and prompting an evacuation of 36 homes. Further blazes have also been reported on Halkyn Mountain in Flintshire and at Braichmelyn Forest in Bethesda.
In a statement on Sunday night, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters remain on scene at a number of wildfire and grass fire incidents across North Wales and will continue monitoring overnight.”
“Local residents should keep windows and doors closed if affected by smoke. Everyone close to the Conwy Mountain who needed to evacuate has been contacted and supported through this process.”
Though temperatures in the UK are cooling at present (as of Monday 13 July), experts predict that areas of England and Wales could exceed 30 degrees again, with amber and yellow heat alerts still in place. Wildfires have also broken out in Greater Manchester, Hampshire, County Durham, Derbyshire, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon and Somerset over the weekend.
UK regions at risk of wildfires
According to Natural England’s live Fire Severity Map, the regions currently most at risk of serious wildfires include the areas surrounding Reading, Southampton and Portsmouth – while later on this week the ‘exceptional’ risk extends to Cambridge, Luton and Ipswich.
However, the majority of England and Wales remains at ‘very high’ risk throughout the week, with temperatures expected to stay high.
UK’s Fire Severity Index (FSI) explained
While the news around UK wildfires can seem scary, it’s important to understand the facts about the current reported risk factors – areas described as under ‘exceptional’ risk do not relate to the likelihood of fires occurring; rather, they are an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start.
The FSI shows the current day’s fire severity and a forecast of likely fire severity over the coming five days. The index values range from 1 to 5 and represent increasing degrees of fire severity.
To learn more, visit the Natural England website here.
