Ten English fire services tackled a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires during what was the UK’s hottest spring and summer on record, figures show.
In total nearly 27,000 wildfires were dealt with by fire services in England during the prolonged dry weather of 2025, according to analysis by PA Media.
One fire chief said the summer was one of the most challenging that crews had ever faced and the frequency and intensity of the wildfires was putting a strain on resources.
The figures, obtained through freedom of information requests, show that at least 12,454 grassland, woodland or crop fires were recorded by fire services in England in the three months from March to May 2025.
This is more than four times the 2,621 incidents logged by these services in the same period in 2024 and is the highest spring total for more than a decade.
Dorset and Wiltshire fire service recorded 298 incidents between March and May, its highest number for spring since comparable data began in 2011, followed by 459 in June to August during a summer that was “one of the most challenging for wildfires that we’ve ever faced”, according to the service’s chief fire officer, Andy Cole.
It was one of 10 fire services that reported a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires in the spring, according to the analysis.
Others include Tyne and Wear, which reported 1,240 such fires, Durham and Darlington (719), Derbyshire (334) and Northumberland (309).
At least 14,448 grassland, woodland and crop fires were recorded in England in June to August, one of the highest summer totals in recent years, though not as many as in 2022 (20,858) when a spell of very hot weather pushed temperatures in the UK above 40C for the first time, with 40.3C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
The highest UK temperature recorded in 2025 was 35.8C in Faversham, Kent. Overall, the Met Office said it was the UK’s warmest spring and summer on record.
Spring was also the driest in the UK for more than 100 years and it was the combination of dry soils, little or no rain and above-average heat that sparked so many wildfires.
The figures inevitably underestimate the true scale of the outbreaks, as full data was obtained from only 35 of the 43 mainland fire services in England.
A fire on Holt Heath near Bournemouth in Dorset in August was declared a major incident and took nearly a week to extinguish fully. Believed to have been started deliberately, it destroyed 72 hectares and required support from services across the UK.
Cole said: “Our firefighters worked around the clock in arduous conditions, often for days at a time, to protect lives, homes, and our natural environment.” He said the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires put “a strain on resources, such as equipment and finances”.
West Yorkshire fire service recorded 1,094 grassland, woodland and crop fires in the spring, six times the number in 2024, with a further 1,156 incidents in the summer.
Mick Rhodes, the wildfire lead at West Yorkshire, said: “Moorland fires can burn for days and require a huge response operationally – they’re also exhausting for our firefighters who tackle them, due to the often-remote nature and hot weather that accompany them.”
Kate Saint, the head of prevention at Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service, said there was a “significant increase” in wildfires in 2025, with crews showing “exceptional bravery and professionalism in challenging conditions, using specialist training and equipment to respond quickly and limit damage”.
“Preventing these incidents in the first place is the most effective way to protect lives and our landscapes,” she added, as “many wildfires are avoidable and are often caused by everyday activities such as discarded cigarettes, barbecues or fires not properly extinguished.”
#Ten #English #fire #services #tackled #record #number #grass #forest #crop #fires #Wildfires