Suffolk wildfire latest: Nuclear power plant on alert as firefighters to battle blaze for days amid drought

The Prime Minister has promised to provide Suffolk Fire and Rescue with “all the support” it needs to deal with the near-coastal bushfire.

Speaking to reporters, Andy Burnham said: “We are monitoring the situation closely and I receive regular updates.

“This is a very serious incident. I will ensure Suffolk Fire and Rescue receives all the support, mutual aid, other services and other resources they need to use.”

Fire chiefs say they can’t predict when residents will be able to return to the homes they were forced to evacuate.

Cliff House Holiday Park, which has approximately 200 caravans, was completely evacuated as a precaution.

“We will not be advising people to return to their properties until it is absolutely safe to do so,” Fire Chief Jon Lacey said.

“But we will do this as quickly as possible to ensure they get back to their belongings and get back to normal.”

He said it’s hard to say when they might be able to return.

While some citizens left their homes voluntarily, some left their homes upon the notice of the fire brigade.

There were approximately 46 people in the evacuation center.

Fire chiefs have said they will begin calling other fire services across the UK to ease the burden on crews working in Dunwich Heath.

Suffolk’s fire chief, Jon Lacey, said: “We’re at the point now where the crew needs to be relieved.”

He added: “They need breathing apparatus to keep them safe and sound, so we are now starting to pull our regional resources from other fire services.”

“We expect a demand for national resources from further afield,” he said.

The Suffolk fire has spread to parts of the RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, which staff say will be closed until further notice.

The trees were darkened and the soil was parched.

Reserve staff wrote on social media: “Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service are currently dealing with a significant fire in Minsmere, which started near Dunwich Heath late on Wednesday afternoon.

“The situation is changing rapidly due to hot and windy conditions and we would urge everyone to avoid the area and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

“Local residents are also advised to keep windows and doors closed whenever possible.

“We are incredibly grateful to the fire department and all of our partners who responded to this incident.”

And they implored people to be more careful outdoors, warning that it only takes a single spark to start a bushfire.

Sizewell C, a nuclear power station currently under construction, said the risk of being affected by the ongoing bushfire was “low” but that it was “constantly assessing smoke conditions”.

In a post on social media, a spokesperson said: “We are closely monitoring the fire at Dunwich Heath, which currently poses a low risk to Sizewell C due to its distance to the site and intervening waterways.

“Our sites and offices are open and operating as normal. We are constantly assessing smoke conditions and any impacts on the road network to help keep people safe and ensure emergency services have priority access.

“We stand ready to support the local community by working closely with the local council, police and Fire and Rescue Service.”

Sizewell B’s operator, EDF, said the fire was not currently affecting operations at the station.

New figures from the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) reveal heatwave-related deaths in the UK have almost doubled this year compared to last summer.

One report estimates that 2,877 heat-related deaths occurred during heat waves in May and June alone.

This total also includes an estimated 753 deaths associated with the May heatwave (May 24-27) and 2,124 deaths during the June heatwave (June 21-28). These figures are almost double those reported for the entire summer period from June to August last year.

The bushfire on Dunwich Heath covers around 100 hectares (247 acres) as fire crews continue to battle the blaze.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said there were 18 fire trucks at the scene and they were working under “challenging conditions”.

He added that some residents were evacuated and others chose to self-evacuate.

The UK is experiencing its second drought in two years as very low rainfall and high temperatures are damaging the natural environment, water reserves and public health.

The Environment Agency has confirmed that there is an official drought in seven regions across England, affecting up to 28 million people – almost half the country’s population.

These areas are mostly in the central, eastern and southern regions, but prolonged drought has also been declared in the North West and East Midlands.

Bryony Gooch from The Independent reports:

The Dunwich Heath bushfire comes just two weeks after Suffolk County Council, which has been led by a majority of Reform UK councilors since May, decided to rescind its climate emergency declaration.

The council instead decided to review spending as well as all climate, net zero and environmental programs and partnerships, and said it would report the findings to cabinet.

It also agreed to remove all references to the Climate Emergency from council policies, strategies and communications “where appropriate”.

Reform UK councilor Morgan Brobyn said in a statement at the time: “The choice at today’s council meeting was not between caring about the environment or not caring about the environment. It was about ensuring environmental management is practical, effective and focused on results. That is the approach we will take moving forward.”

Suffolk County Council declared a Climate Emergency in March 2019.

The Met Office, along with a number of climate scientists, warned last year that severe heatwaves and droughts caused by climate change were making extreme bushfires more frequent and intense around the world.