Major incident declared in Wales as wildfires burn across UK
A large-scale bushfire in North Wales has been declared a major incident by emergency services as fire crews battle fires across England and Wales during a record-breaking heatwave.
While those living near Mount Conwy and Sychnant Pass were evacuated, citizens were warned to stay away from the area.
Fire crews in Greater Manchester are trying to contain a moorland blaze near a reservoir, while crews in Camberley, Hampshire, are also tackling a large heath blaze.
Bushfires broke out in County Durham, Derbyshire, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon and Somerset over the weekend, as parts of the country were warned to face an “exceptional” fire risk.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said in an update on Sunday afternoon that it was working in “challenging conditions” to bring the Mount Conwy fire under control and operations were “expected to continue for some time”.
The city council advised residents of the village of Capelulo near the mountain to “leave safely and follow instructions from emergency services at the scene.”
Residents in nearby communities were advised to keep windows and doors closed and seek medical attention if they had difficulty breathing.
The service later said it had also responded to a number of grass fire incidents, including at Braichmelyn Forest in Bethesda.
natural england, external It said some areas in southern England and the south Midlands were at the highest risk of bushfires over the next few days, while many other areas in England and Wales were at “very high” risk.
Parts of the UK will enter a second week of temperatures above the heatwave threshold, with amber and yellow temperature health warnings issued between Sunday night and Wednesday night.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were at a moorland fire near Dovestone Reservoir at X on Sunday afternoon.
“Due to high winds, smoke from a fire can spread significant distances,” he said, warning nearby residents to keep windows and doors closed and others to stay away from the area.
Crews are expected to remain at the scene of a major bushfire in Blackwater, Camberley, on Sunday evening after working through the night to bring the blaze under control.
The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon and spread to around 10 hectares (25 acres) of bushland near the Surrey border.
