Overview
- The Met Office has issued a red extreme-heat alert covering large parts of England and Wales for Wednesday and Thursday, with forecasts around 39°C or higher and warnings for major cities and rural woodlands.
- Rob Gazzard, a senior wildfire adviser to the Forestry Commission, told MPs on Tuesday that the expected 'Mediterranean-style' fire weather will be very challenging and could stretch the organisation's capacity to manage large blazes.
- Gazzard said roughly 97–99% of wildfires are small and usually contained, but some can grow very large, citing last year’s Fylingdales Moor and Langdale fire that burned about 25 square kilometres.
- Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, proposed a formal fire-risk rating system that could trigger targeted local measures such as bans on disposable barbecues, limits on movement in defined areas, and warning signage.
- Officials point to the 2022 heatwave — which saw more than 800 wildfires and a 40.3°C reading at Coningsby — as an example of how extreme heat, dry fuels, and concurrent fires can overwhelm resources and cause serious property and public safety impacts.