Last week’s wildfires across London show that lessons learned tackling rural blazes must urgently be applied to built-up areas, fire chiefs say. The record-breaking heatwave, with 40C peaks, came during a prolonged spell of dry weather.
More than 40 houses and shops were destroyed after a number of grass fires spread to nearby buildings.
The Met Office estimates that climate change makes the extreme heat seen last week in the UK 10 times more likely. Extreme heat and dry conditions are major factors contributing to wildfires.
According to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), there have been almost 500 wildfires so far this year alone in England and Wales, compared with 237 last year.
NFCC lead wildfire tactical advisor David Swallow, who is also group commander for Hereford and Worcester Fire Service, said: “Everything is bone-dry and services need to recognize the risk they’ve now got. If they don’t, then they’re naïve.
The wildfire group that Mr. Swallow leads draws its members and expertise from firefighters in predominantly rural areas more susceptible to such blazes, like Northumberland, South Wales, the Peak District, and Wiltshire.
As part of the wildlife management, the keepers also help to reduce the amount of combustible vegetation, by rolling back bracken and allowing livestock to graze the grass.
However, 5,500 hectares of the Brecon Beacons National Park have already burned in wildfires this year.
Craig Hope is one of the UK’s wildfire tactical advisers. One solution Mr. Hope proposes is that, rather than each force individually spending money on improving its response, there should be funding for a deployable central specialized unit.
