Ten English fire services tackled record number of grass, forest and crop fires in 2025 | Wildfires
Ten British fire services battled a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires during the UK’s hottest spring and summer on record, figures show.
In total, nearly 27,000 bushfires in England were responded to by fire services during the prolonged dry weather of 2025, according to analysis by PA Media.
Summer is one of the toughest periods crews face, and the frequency and intensity of wildfires puts pressure on resources, a fire chief said.
Figures obtained through freedom of information requests show that at least 12,454 grassland, woodland or crop fires were recorded by fire services in England in the three months from March to May 2025.
This is more than four times the 2,621 incidents recorded by these services during the same period in 2024 and the highest spring total in more than a decade.
Dorset and Wiltshire fire service recorded 298 incidents between March and May; this was the highest number for the spring months since comparable data began in 2011; This was followed by 459 incidents between June and August during the summer, which was “one of the most challenging wildfires we’ve ever experienced,” according to the service’s fire chief, Andy Cole.
It was one of 10 fire departments to report record numbers of pasture, woodland and crop fires in the spring, according to the analysis.
Others include Tyne and Wear, which reported 1,240 such fires, Durham and Darlington (719), Derbyshire (334) and Northumberland (309).
At least 14,448 grassland, woodland and crop fires were recorded in England between June and August; this is one of the highest summer totals in recent years; but not as many as in 2022 (20,858), when very hot weather pushed temperatures above 40°C in the UK for the first time; 40.3°C was recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
The highest temperature recorded in England in 2025 was 35.8 degrees in Faversham, Kent. Comprehensive, The Met Office said this was the hottest spring and summer on record in the UK.
Spring was also the driest season in the UK for over 100 years, and it was the combination of dry soils, little or no rain and above average temperatures that triggered many bushfires.
Because full data is available from only 35 of England’s 43 mainland fire brigades, figures inevitably understate the true extent of outbreaks.
A fire at Holt Heath, near Bournemouth in Dorset, in August was declared a major incident and took around a week to be completely extinguished. The action, which is believed to have been started deliberately, destroyed 72 hectares of land. and provided the necessary support from services across the UK.
“Our firefighters worked day and night, often for days in challenging conditions, to protect lives, homes and our natural environment,” Cole said. He said the increasing frequency and intensity of fires was “putting pressure on resources such as equipment and finances”.
West Yorkshire fire service recorded 1,094 pasture, woodland and crop fires in the spring; this number was six times the number in 2024; There were 1,156 more incidents during the summer months.
Mick Rhodes, wildfire leader in West Yorkshire, said: “Moorland fires can burn for days and require a major operational response; they are also exhausting for our firefighters fighting them, due to the often remote nature and hot weather that accompanies them.”
Kate Saint, head of prevention at Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service, said there was a “significant increase” in bushfires in 2025, with crews “showing exceptional courage and professionalism in challenging conditions, using specialist training and equipment to respond quickly and limit damage”.
“Since many wildfires are preventable and are often caused by everyday activities such as discarded cigarettes, barbecues or improperly extinguished fires, preventing these events in the first place is the most effective way to protect lives and our nature,” he added.
