UK heatwave: Expert warns of ‘extreme wildfire scenario’ with temperatures set to reach 39C
Guardians of Britain’s biggest forests could be stretched to their limits by “Mediterranean-style fire weather” as extreme heat threatens to trigger fires, a senior adviser has warned.
The Met Office has issued a red warning for “extreme heat” in parts of England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.
The warning covers major cities such as London, Cardiff and Birmingham, as well as rural beauty spots such as the Chiltern Hills, Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean, where temperatures are expected to reach 39C or above.
Rob Gazzard, the Forestry Commission’s bushfire advisor, warned that “extreme scenarios will be very challenging” for the organisation.
He made the comments during questioning by the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
About 97 percent to 99 percent of wildfires are “roughly under an acre,” he said, are contained by firefighters, lack of fuel and weather conditions.
But some fires were larger, such as the Fylingdales Moor and Langdale fires last year.
At its peak, the fire affected 25 square kilometers (almost 10 square miles) of moorland and forest in North Yorkshire.
“If we have more than one of these, it becomes a capacity issue,” Mr. Gazzard said.
“Finally, there are extreme wildfire scenarios such as Mediterranean weather on July 19, 2022, the same fire weather as Spain and Portugal that we will experience this week.
“And these extreme scenarios will be very challenging for us.
“It may actually challenge our abilities and capacity.”
More than 800 bushfires were recorded at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 19 July 2022, when the mercury reached 40.3C.
London Fire Brigade alone responded to 106 fires, including 59 grassland, woodland and crop fires.
16 houses were destroyed in Wennington, east London.
Mr Gazzard said the Forestry Commission’s “big resource pull” was about ensuring “small fires don’t turn into big fires”, based on analysis of data from the “really tough” season in 2018.
The select committee also heard from Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council.
He suggested a “fire risk rating system” could be used to restrict activities in bushfire-prone areas, which could include bans on single-use barbecues or, in extreme cases, “restrictions on the movement of people”.
Explaining how his proposal would work, Mr Garrigan said: “We will go to certain areas – identify high fire risk and significant vulnerability – and as a result there will be a number of restrictions in that defined area.”
Committee member and Labor MP for Brent West, Barry Gardiner, said: “It probably comes down to making people aware of it.
“And I know that electronic road signs are being used that say ‘you are currently entering a high risk area and these controls are in place.’
“Is this something the committee should recommend?”
Mr. Garrigan replied: “Yes.”
