Map shows where in the UK is most at risk of a ‘firewave’

The UK is not only in the grips of a heatwave but a ‘firewave’ too, experts have told Metro.

At least 19 wildfires were raging up and down the country yesterday, with one moorland in Derbyshire burning for the past three weeks.

These blazes are exploding in size, threatening communities, gutting ecosystems and fouling the air for thousands of people.

But what is a firewave? And what areas are at most risk?

What is a wildfire?

Wildfires are unpredictable infernoes that aren’t planned.

The UK has seen 564 of them since January, up 717% for the same period in 2024, according to fire chiefs.

Wildfires only require two things – fuel and a spark.

Right now, the UK has an overabundance of fuel. Heatwaves in May, June and July have killed trees and dried out dead grass and twigs on the forest floor that act as kindling for fires.

The UK has also had next to no significant rainfall for days – weeks in some parts – and won’t until next week at the earliest.

The strong winds we’re seeing aren’t helping either, as these gusts can whip up flames and spread them further out.

The spark, meanwhile, is always in overabundance. Almost all wildfires are caused by people, such as a flicked cigarette or an unattended campfire.

What is a firewave?

The term might bring to mind a tsunami of flames, but it actually describes wildfires in urban areas that are sparked by hot, dry weather.

So a better way of wording it might be ‘fire weather wave’, says Dr Theo Keeping, who studies extreme weather at Imperial College London.

‘Each consecutive day of extreme fire weather means that a wildfire can grow larger, spreading faster each day as the edge of the fire grows longer,’ Dr Keeping says.

‘Fire weather waves account for a small number of days (about 4% of days in forested areas), but coincide with about half of the top 1% of extreme forest fires.’

Where is the firewave happening?

Wildfires have roared in London, Devon, Somerset, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Greater Manchester, East Sussex, West Sussex and North Wales in recent days.

Natural England, which protects ecosystems, regularly updates a map showing which areas are at risk of going up in flames.

As of this morning, wildfires have a ‘very high’ chance of breaking out in almost all of England and Wales, represented by an orange warning.

Yellow warnings for a ‘high’ chance of wildfires cover a sliver of the west coast and northeast of England. Pockets of northern England are under ‘moderate’ risk.

Thomas Smith, associate professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics, says that whether it’s a few blades of grass poking through a railway track or a park, wildfires can erupt anywhere.

‘There is really no part of the UK that is immune to wildfire,’ he says.

‘It doesn’t take months of drought. Just a few weeks of hot, dry weather can dry fine fuels such as grasses, leaves and other dead vegetation enough for them to sustain a fire if an ignition occurs.’

Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan warned residents of the capital to take precautions to avoid deadly blazes, including creating firebreaks and clearing garden waste.

When will the firewave end?

When the heatwave does, Jim NR Dale, a meteorologist with the British Weather Services, says.

‘The end of it all? Currently, from July 26, as an Atlantic lower-pressure system and accompanying rain try to move in – I stress, try!’

‘Without a shadow of a doubt, the risk of wildfires will continue to increase,’ he adds, due to climate change.

Both the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires have more than doubled in the last two decades, according to a study in 2023.

This is because climate change makes fire seasons – the stretches of summer when fires more easily spark – drier and hotter.

Much of Europe has faced three blistering hot spells driven by a stubborn high-pressure system called a heat dome. These domes, like a lid on a pot of boiling water, trap hot air inside.

Very extreme fire weather conditions cover western and central Europe today, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Spain has been battling one of its deadliest wildfires on record, which has so far killed 13 people, including seven people from the UK.

The blaze was sparked by a broken cable in a roadside ditch in Los Gallardos, Almería.

The fire ravaged 7,000 hectares of woodland and villages, leaving hillsides smouldering and forcing thousands to flee from their homes.

While officials said on Monday the fire was ‘under control’, they stressed that the country faces a ‘very difficult summer’.

The UK faces a tough summer too, says Smith. Climate change means that the biggest challenges for fire services aren’t extinguishing wildfires, but working in a country where they’re increasingly burning stronger.

‘The reality is that during future firewaves, fire and rescue services may have to prioritise which incidents receive the greatest resources, while focusing on protecting lives, homes and critical infrastructure,’ he adds.

‘That represents a significant shift from the traditional expectation that every wildfire can be suppressed quickly.’

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