National Trust launches emergency appeal after wildfire destroys 220 football pitches of heathland

Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, has launched an emergency appeal after fire destroyed the equivalent of 220 football pitches on land the charity cares for at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk.

Wildlife has perished in the blaze, which began at around 5.30pm last Wednesday (29).

The area is home to species including Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats, as well as native reptiles such as adders, common lizards and slow worms. Fire spreads rapidly through the heather and shrubbery that make up much of the heathland.

The 371-acre blaze began on the neighbouring Minsmere site, owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), before spreading to the National Trust-owned Dunwich Heath.

McGrady said: “We are looking at the total devastation of a beloved and important landscape. We’ve lost precious habitats, wildlife, trees, and a place where people have made memories over generations. It’s heartbreaking.

Western gorse in bloom near the cottages before the fire National Trust/Daniel Payne

“But together we can and will restore Dunwich and, crucially, make it more resilient and better adapted to the climate we’re facing now and the climate we’ll face in future. We’re working hard to tackle climate change and prepare for its effects, but there’s much more to do.”

She added: “We can’t do it alone. We’re a charity that relies on public support in so many ways. If you can donate, however much, please don’t hesitate. Your money will go directly towards restoring Dunwich, helping habitats recover, rebuilding homes for wildlife, strengthening the landscape’s resilience and returning this iconic place to the nation.”

The fire at Dunwich Heath is one of around 200 across the UK in the past fortnight, including several on National Trust land. The charity has called on the government to stand firm on climate action by keeping fossil fuels in the ground and embedding climate resilience across policy-making.

McGrady said: “This means building homes fit for the future, creating wetter and more resilient landscapes, cooling our towns and cities, and helping communities prepare for the weather we’re going to experience. It means taking steps now to protect our health, our heritage and our way of life.”

Scorched heathland in front of the Coastguard Cottages, with Sizewell B nuclear power station in the background Toby Shepheard/AFP via Getty Images

Matt Wilson, the National Trust’s countryside manager for Suffolk and Essex, said: “Dunwich is a special place for lots of people, partly because of its position in the coastal landscape and partly because of what surrounds it. We have RSPB Minsmere next door, Natural England’s Westleton Heath just up the road, Dunwich Forest and Dingle Marshes. It’s a vast landscape of wildlife habitats and biodiversity. Dunwich is at the heart of it, and it’s important both locally and nationally – and that has now been severely affected.”

Meanwhile, Russell Clement, the National Trust’s general manager for the Suffolk coast, said the landscape had suffered extensive damage and that it would “have a knock-on impact on the wildlife that calls Dunwich home.

“This is obviously heartbreaking news, as so many people have fond memories of this precious landscape, which is normally covered in purple heather at this time of year.”

Andy Beer, the National Trust’s chief operating officer, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “One of our team who was on site on Saturday was still seeing signs of life among the burnt landscape, so we hope some of the species that live there managed to escape. Obviously, we will have lost many things, but we hope that by next spring we will have a clearer picture of the recovery. It’s a bit too early to tell. We have faith in nature’s ability to recover.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, although it may have resulted from carelessness.

Retired ecologist Chris Keeling, who previously worked for Natural England, urged people not to light barbecues or smoke cigarettes in the open.

“It’s so important that we protect what is left, and with climate change and these increasingly dry summers it’s vital that people behave responsibly,” he said. “It’s sad to say that we have to be pushed to the threshold before we appreciate what we’re losing, but that is so often the way with humanity.”

A helicopter helps contain the blazeSuffolk County Council

Wildlife habitats devastated by the “utterly sickening” fire at Dunwich Heath could take up to 25 years to recover, according to Adam Rowlands, the RSPB’s area manager for Suffolk.

“The acrid smell – it’s not just smoke. You have a sense that animals have perished in the flames,” he said.

He said it was the biggest blaze at Minsmere “in living memory”, adding that rare butterfly species would have been at the egg stage when the fire broke out, while bird populations would also be at risk.

But he pointed out: “Most of them have finished breeding, so they’ll be able to escape the fire, and we saw nightjars flying above the fire on the heath. The problem is that the aftermath will be one of devastation. The vegetation will be destroyed and most of those birds will lose their nesting sites. Some of that habitat will take five, 10 or even 25 years to recover to what it was before the fire.”

The RSPB said: “While it’s too early to understand the full impact, it’s clear that this precious landscape has been profoundly affected, with significant loss of heathland and likely impacts on wildlife that will be felt for years to come.”

Sizewell B nuclear power station is about three miles (5km) from the site.

An EDF spokesperson said: “The fire at Dunwich Heath is not currently affecting operations at Sizewell B power station, but we are continuing to monitor the situation closely. We are not on high alert.”

At the height of the blaze, more than 100 firefighters were deployed, while homes and 200 caravans were evacuated.

No injuries have been reported, and a relief centre for those affected was set up at Westleton Village Hall. Firefighters said they were able to reduce the number of appliances tackling the blaze from 14 to eight last Saturday morning “following positive firefighting action and the creation of further firebreaks”.

The heathland before it was devastated National Trust/Justin Minns

Henry Griffin, the county’s deputy chief fire officer, said the fire spread rapidly through the heathland because many of the plants contain oils. He explained: “Fire loves oil-rich plants such as pine and lavender. They burn incredibly quickly.”

A wildlife photographer who moved to Dunwich Heath specifically to photograph its wildlife said the scale of the destruction “was just devastating to see”.

Jon Evans, who now lives in nearby Leiston, rented one of the Coastguard Cottages from 2016 to 2021 and volunteered with RSPB Minsmere and the National Trust at Dunwich Heath.

“It’s amazing how the cottages have survived – I really don’t know how they managed that – but everything around them has gone. The whole heath has been completely scorched,” he said. “To see it all go up in smoke is heart-wrenching.”

He was particularly worried about chicks of ground-nesting birds such as stone curlews and woodlarks.