Are wildfires on the increase in Britain and Europe?

This year Britain has suffered some very large wildfires, including those on Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District National Park and Winter Hill in Lancashire. Elsewhere in Europe, wildfires have been responsible for considerable damage, including loss of life, and there is now a growing awareness that more must be done to prevent wildfires occurring – fire-fighting resources are being increasingly stretched and the army was called in to support Fire & Rescue Services in the UK this year. The experience in 2018 appears similar to that in 2017. The EU have just published an annual summary of forest fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa in that year. Wildfires
burnt over 1.2 million ha in the EU and killed 127 people including both fire fighters and civilians. The position in the UK is somewhat unclear because wildfire data are not available. However, Andy Moffat’s contribution to this review suggests that serious wildfires in Britain have become more common in recent years although it remains unclear if a trend of increasing wildfire will continue into the future. Further work will examine to what extent current fire policy is adequate to ensure prevention activities become effective in reducing wildfire risk.