Worst wildfire year on record after crews respond to nearly 1,000 so far

Fire crews in England and Wales have responded to 996 wildfire incidents so far in 2025, the highest number on record

Meanwhile, the number of firefighters is down 25% since 2008, the equivalent of around 11,000 wholetime crew members, according to the National Fire Chief Council (NFCC).

Fire and rescue services are facing a 20% increase in demand since 2014 and wildfire numbers have rocketed this year as a result of the dry spring and four summer heatwaves, the charity and independent membership association reported.

NFCC chairman, Phil Garrigan, said: “The cooler months may be on their way, but the climate emergency is not going anywhere. If it is not wildfires, it is floods – and fire and rescue will always be on the front line.”

He added: “This year’s record wildfires have stretched fire and rescue services to the limit, tying up crews for days on end and taking a real human toll on the firefighters who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us.

“Some services have been forced to call in reinforcements from across the country, raising serious concerns about their ability to respond to their full range of duties.”

The previous record was 994 wildfires in 2022 and 19 of them happened in the final three months of that year, meaning 2025’s total is expected to surpass 1,000.

National Resilience collected the data, which runs up to September 4 2025.

The programme recorded 200 wildfires in 2024, 293 in 2023, 223 in 2021 and 149 in 2020.

Mr Garrigan, who served for 35 years at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Fire and rescue is the foundation of our national resilience – we cannot allow it to become the forgotten emergency service.

“With the Government deliberating on how it will fund services following the Spending Review, now must be the time to act.

“Urgent and long-term investment is needed in people, equipment and resources so that fire and rescue services can tackle the impact of climate change and continue to keep our communities safe.”

A major incident was declared in August this year as a blaze spread across 72 hectares of land at Holt Heath, Dorset.

Crews worked on the scene for nearly a week, with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue deploying personnel from 47 of its 50 stations.

A total of 17 and rescue services from across the country were called in to help.

A large gorse blaze also broke out on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, that month, prompting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to issue its 10th warning of the year on avoiding using naked flames outdoors.

North Yorkshire fire services also declared a major incident on Langdale Moor near an RAF base.

Fire and rescue services in England responded to 600,185 incidents last year, an increase of 20% from a decade earlier in 2014, the NFCC said.

To qualify as a wildfire for English and Welsh services, the blaze must cover at least one hectare, feature flames more than 1.5 metres high, or require at least four fire and rescue appliances or resources to be committed to the scene.

It could also need resources to remain on site for at least six hours, or pose a serious threat to life, environment, property and infrastructure.

Only one of the five criteria needs to be reached.

Scotland classifies the incidents as a large, uncontrolled outdoor fire that burns more than 1,000 square metres of land.