Firefighters in England were called out to nearly 25,000 wildfires in June, July and August, almost four times the number that occurred in summer 2021 and the highest for this period in at least a decade, figures show. Some forces tackled more than 50 wildfires a day at the peak of the heatwaves.
It was a summer that also saw droughts declared in many areas and temperatures reach a record-breaking 40C. Fire chiefs said the figures showed how staff were “increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes”, while praising the dedication and bravery of officers in tackling unprecedented conditions.
At least 24,316 wildfires were recorded by fire services in England from June to August, according to data obtained by the PA news agency through freedom of information requests. This was almost four times the 6,213 wildfires in the equivalent period in 2021, and around two and a half times the 9,369 for June-August 2020.
