Fire services across the UK are now working out how much they can do over the winter to prepare for one of the country’s escalating dangers: wildfires.

Baroness Brown, the chairwoman of the UK’s Climate Change Committee, recently told the BBC that not enough action has been taken, given that the UK is predicted to face longer, drier summers due to global warming.

At the Labour party conference in September 2026, Steve Wright, the Fire Brigades Union general secretary, called for 5,000 more firefighters and support to build more resilience against wildfires. Meanwhile, the UK prime minister Andy Burnham praised the citizens of Stourbridge in the West Midlands for rallying around to support their community after a wildfire left people homeless this summer.

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chair Phil Garrigan has warned that “wildfires are no longer rare or isolated incidents; they are a growing national risk that require a national-level response”. An analysis by Sky TV using European Forest Fire Information System data found that nearly one in five large wildfires (19%) in England and Wales came within 500 metres of built-up areas in 2026.

What happened this summer?

In 2026, the UK saw its hottest summer on record, with prolonged periods of hot, dry weather contributing to the highest number of wildfires in England and Wales since records began.

Fire and rescue services had attended over 1,000 wildfires by the end of August. Several major incidents required firefighters, equipment and military support to be in place for weeks.

South Wales Fire Service had to deal with multiple wildfires simultaneously. In Scotland,........

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