UK FIREFIGHTERS were “under significant pressure” as they battled multiple wildfires amid soaring temperatures and drought conditions, the head of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said on Friday.
Images showed scorched fields and burnt-out homes in Stourbridge in central England, where residents were evacuated and people were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire spread on Thursday, the UK’s hottest day of the year so far.
Three firefighters were hospitalised while fighting the blaze southwest of Birmingham.
“It’s been a particularly difficult, busy period for the fire and rescue service, where we’ve been under significant pressure,” NFCC head Phil Garrigan told BBC Radio 4.
“Firefighters have been on the front line of climate change for a number of years. They’re doing their absolute best to protect communities and properties.”
The West Midlands region, where Stourbridge is located, along with nearly three-quarters of England, was in drought after weeks of high temperatures and little rainfall, increasing the risk of fires.
West Midlands Fire Service said on Friday that it was making “progress” against the blaze, which had “several points of origin”.
At least six properties were affected by the fires, emergency services said. They added that some of the blazes were set deliberately in grasslands before spreading.
“This has been one of the most significant incidents that West Midlands Fire Service has ever attended,” chief fire officer Simon Tuhill told a press conference late on Thursday.
He blamed the rapid spread on “tinder dry” conditions and said the “devastation is extensive”.
So far this summer, firefighters have mainly battled wildfires in rural areas and moorland across the country.
“Awful to see homes and communities hit by fires across the country tonight as the heatwave continues,” UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in a statement on X.
Fire chiefs warned that investment was falling short and urged the government to increase support to “keep pace” with the growing risks of wildfires.
“The risk is growing faster than our collective capacity to respond. Climate change, prolonged periods of extreme heat and changing land use are creating more frequent, larger and more complex wildfires,” the NFCC said.
