We’re wildfire experts. Here’s what the UK can learn from Australia
Fires are becoming a feature of the UK’s hotter, drier climate, as in much of Europe.
In July 2026, massive fires ravaged parts of the United Kingdom in a matter of days; specifically caused Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano in the center of Edinburgh, to catch fire. Following that fire, the Scottish Greens described the bushfires as a “national emergency”.
Meanwhile, the Welsh government has activated its crisis plan to combat the ongoing fires in north Wales, while also raising concerns about a shortage of helicopters to control the flames. Other fire services in England said they were under extreme pressure.
In 2025, fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to nearly 1,000 bushfire incidents, beating the previous record set in 2022. Expert forecasts predict there will be more days like this.
More than a million Britons live in fire-prone areas, according to Ordnance Survey data. “The houses identified are located in a patchwork of landscapes that often lack controlled fire suppression measures, as is common in other parts of the world,” said Duncan Moss, co-chairman of a national group that advises the government on bushfires.
So far there is no unified approach to bushfire management in the UK. While Scotland published a plan in March, management in England is largely driven by independent public bodies such as Forestry England; however, the UK government recently announced the establishment of new bushfire teams for England.
The UK public mostly hear about bushfires through a variety of news and information from land management agencies and other public bodies. But wildfires remain a largely unrecognized risk due to gaps in understanding of the hazards and their consequences. That’s why many communities now want clearer information on how to respond.
One potential solution is more real-time emergency alerts sent directly to mobile phones in affected areas. Although the UK has a national emergency alert service, this system has so far only been used for floods and storms.
However, we believe emergency alerts should be just one part of a broader communications strategy. The UK is at a critical time to shape public understanding not only of the risks but of the nuances of fire. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fires.
Wildfires can be both destructive and beneficial. Safe, proactive risk mitigation often involves burning small, low-intensity fires to reduce vegetation that could serve as fuel and reduce the risk of future wildfires. This approach is also widely used in other countries.
Managing fire well requires more than early warnings. It will take a population that understands how to live safely with it.
What is Australia doing and is it effective?
The long history of devastating bushfires has formed Australia’s fire risk warning framework; Few countries have tackled this so comprehensively. There are two systems: One that estimates the risk level before the fire starts, and the other that informs what to do after the fire starts.
The Australian Fire Danger Rating System was introduced in 2022 to provide a clear and nationally consistent warning system. It is designed to explain to the public how dangerous a fire can be if it starts.
The system has four levels. Each includes a clear set of messages and recommended actions people should take before and during fire risk: moderate (plan and prepare), high (be prepared to act), extreme (act now to protect life and property) and catastrophic (leave bushfire risk areas to ensure your survival).
Hazard ratings are calculated and communicated by Australian state and territory fire services. They take into account weather, dryness factors and potential fire behavior.
These warnings reach the public through various channels:
• Roadside signs showing current fire danger ratings;
• Weather forecasts with fire danger ratings incorporated into standard weather reporting and weather applications;
• Government emergency websites and apps;
• News coverage including Australia’s national emergency broadcaster ABC Emergency, providing up-to-date information and advice on protecting life and property.
What happens when a fire starts?
The Australian Warning System (AWS) is activated when a fire starts and sends alerts directly to the public for each fire.
This national approach was established in 2021 to provide consistent, publicly available information about wildfires, floods, storms, hurricanes, extreme temperatures or severe weather. Before this, warnings were issued individually by state, with inconsistent warning levels and terminology and different warning systems for different hazards. AWS has three alert levels:
• Advisory (yellow): incident has started but there is no immediate danger. Stay updated in case the situation changes.
• Watch and act (orange): increased threat level. Conditions are changing and you need to act now to protect yourself and your family.
• Emergency alert (red): highest alert level. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. If it is too late to leave, take shelter immediately. Any delay puts your life at risk.
From 1 October 2026, Australia will add another layer to its warning protocol. AusAlert will send emergency messages directly to all compatible mobile devices in the affected area during local and national disasters, after a royal commission found this will be an increasingly valuable approach to natural disasters.
This layering of messaging channels is intentional, but problems can still occur. During a fire in central Victoria in January 2026, a power outage overloaded mobile networks and the fire destroyed a major telecommunications tower, leaving many residents without access to official alerts, emergency apps or broadcast guidance.
Elliot Convery-Fisher is a Research Fellow in the Socio-Ecology of Fire Management at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Kate Parkins is a Bushfire Risk Analyst at the University of Melbourne.
The article was published for the first time Speech and is republished under a Creative Commons license. Read original article .
It is estimated that more than 60,000 people heeded advice to leave fire-prone areas during the 2019-20 fires in Australia. Official warnings almost certainly played an important role, but so did the visibility of the crisis, with smoke blanketing entire regions and constant media coverage of mass evacuations.
But, research Research into people affected by bushfires in New South Wales in 2017 showed that although warnings were easy for most people to access and understand, this did not quite translate into the response emergency services required. Instead, many people chose to stay and defend their homes.
All alerting systems face the same basic problem: Too much texting causes communication fatigue, too little texting can lead to loss of life. Australia has spent decades learning how to warn its people. The harder lesson—getting people to act on this advice—is still a work in progress.
