Dunwich Heath fire: Major incident declared as firefighters battle large blaze

A major incident has been declared, with properties on the Suffolk coast evacuated as firefighters battle the bushfire.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service mobilized around 90 firefighters who worked in “difficult conditions” throughout the night following a fire in Dunwich Heath on Wednesday afternoon.

The “large-scale, wind-driven” inferno is now rapidly spreading south-west and posing a threat to the 19th-century St James Church on Westleton Road.

While the fire brigade is evacuating the residents of Coastguard Cottages, Mount Pleasant Farm and Cliff House Holiday Park, preparations are continuing for the evacuation of 200 caravans.

Families, including babies and children, were taken to Westleton Village Hall.

Anna Seymour, 56, was staying in the log cabin at Cliff House Holiday Park with her two kittens when she noticed smoke in the heather.

“I don’t remember exactly when we were [evacuated] I was sitting in the clubhouse and there was so much noise, fire trucks. “It’s something you’ll never hear clearly there because it’s not really a place where any noise can be heard and there were a lot of fire trucks heading into the bush,” he said. Independent.

“About 20 minutes later someone said Dunwich was on fire. I went back to the kennel to check on the kittens and then someone knocked on the door and said ‘go to the evacuation point’.”

He described the evacuation as a calm process but said there was “a lot of smoke” when they left the resort.

Justin North told the BBC the door to his holiday home in Dunwich Cliffs was “hammered” at around 11.30pm and he and his wife were asked to “leave immediately”.

The couple had to sleep in their car before they could reach the evacuation center, where they said there was “some kind of blitzkrieg spirit” among residents.

Due to the remoteness of the fire, there is no current risk to Sizewell B, the nuclear power plant that provides electricity to 2.5 million households, but firefighters warn it is a “live and dynamic situation”.

An EDF spokesman said: “The fire at Dunwich Heath is not currently affecting operations at Sizewell B power station but we continue to monitor the situation.”

The UK is experiencing its second drought in two years as very low rainfall and high temperatures are damaging the environment and affecting 28 million people.

The Environment Agency has warned that parts of England, including East Anglia, which includes Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex, are suffering from “flash drought”.

Officials confirmed major incident status had been issued in Suffolk “due to the size and complexity” of the rapidly evolving situation.

The service’s station manager, Dan Davis, issued an urgent appeal for the public to avoid the area and ensure windows and doors remain closed.

The fire service has asked people to avoid visiting Dunwich Beach, adding: “We understand the hot weather has made heading to the beach very tempting, but for everyone’s safety we would ask people to avoid the area at this time.”

Thérèse Coffey, the area’s former Conservative MP, said it was “sad news” and expressed hope the fire would not spread to the RSPB Minsmere nature reserve.

This comes as the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) issued a yellow heat-health alert for the East Midlands, East, South East and London.

The warning will remain in effect until 9am on Thursday, and the agency has previously warned that rising temperatures could increase health risks, especially for vulnerable groups.

The Suffolk fire is one of several major bushfires being fought in the UK.

The National Fire Chiefs Council said fire services in England and Wales have responded to 706 bushfires so far in 2026, with more than 200 of these recorded in the last two weeks.

Eight bushfires are currently burning and ‘monitored’ across the UK; fire chiefs warn there remains a “high risk” of more fires.

Separately, crews in Scotland said they had made “significant progress” in fighting a bushfire in the Cairngorms two weeks ago.

As clouds of smoke rose into the sky, many homes in the remote area were evacuated and large areas of trees, shrubs and pastures were charred and blackened.

Speaking at the track on Wednesday, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) deputy chief Michael Humphreys said fire crews were making progress in fighting the blaze.

But he warned that the risk of flare-ups remains high.

“This has been an absolutely devastating fire for the wildlife and the local community who have really come out to support us, we really appreciate that,” he said.

“We needed to implement a significant number of firebreaks to get this fire under control.”