As 2025 is set to be a record year for wildfires in England and Wales, the Mirror’s Nada Farhoud visited Dorset which has been badly hit this summer to look at the damage
Record numbers of wildfires this year have put fire services under huge strain, while important habitats that rare wildlife rely on have been destroyed killing birds, reptiles and other species.
In England and Wales alone, crews have already tackled 992 wildfires this year from the Yorkshire Moors to Cornwall. Dorset chief fire officer Andy Cole said this summer has been “one of the most challenging for wildfires that we’ve ever faced”.
It comes after the UK has experienced the driest Spring in 70 years, while this summer is expected to be the hottest on record leaving the country parched. As I walk over Holt Heath, north of Wimborne in Dorset the torched ground now resembles a battlefield, rather than an important heathland which is home to rare species including nightjars, Dartford Warblers, slow worms and sand lizards.
Over 100 firefighters from 17 different services across the country tackled this blaze – thought to have been started deliberately on August 9 and burned across 177 acres of land. But why are wildfires increasing and how are they starting?
At Upton Heath, another important site for wildlife, which went up in flames in April, CEO of Dorset Wildlife Trust Brian Bleese explained to me why he doesn’t like the phrase wildfires. He said:“Heathland fires are very far from being natural. They’re either started by neglect or increasingly by arson, which is tragic for people and for wildlife in the area.”
His organisation, along with Keep Britain Tidy has called for a disposable barbecue ban to reduce the risk of wildfires. Portable campfires and cigarette butts can also contribute to wildfires in parched areas. Brian advised: “Be incredibly vigilant on Heathlands. No naked flames, no smoking, absolutely no barbecues and no fires. If we do that then we take half the problem away. Arson’s a different matter of course.”
He also explained how climate change, along with high winds have created the “perfect conditions for wildfires to not only be ignited but to spread rapidly”. He added: “We’re seeing much more unpredictable weather and unprecedented long dry spells which do mean that the heaths are more flammable than they might have been in previous years.
“In April it was heartbreaking to find burnt gorse bushes with charred nests in them with little cooked eggs inside them, it was absolutely devastating. That is a time of year when you don’t expect fires but the dry spell started back in March making the heathlands very flammable.”
As of Friday, fire and rescue services have already tackled 992 wildfires this year – putting 2025 on course to exceed the record-breaking total of 994 seen in 2022. By the end of July that year, there had been 596 wildfires; by the same point this year, the figure had soared to 793 – a 33% increase. The contrast with last year is even starker. Between January 1 and July 31, 2024, there were 104 wildfires – 663% higher.
Dr Tracy Bradford, senior lecturer in fire engineering at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “The rise in wildfires is having a wide-ranging impact on the environment and society. Environmentally, they lead to the destruction of habitats, biodiversity loss and soil degradation. Large scale fires can also contribute to air pollution, affecting air quality and human health, especially in urban areas.
“On a social level, wildfires put lives at risk, displace communities and cause significant financial damage through property loss, firefighting costs and loss of agricultural production. Long term environmental damage can disrupt local economies and ecosystems for years due to tourism declining, road closures, and air pollution.”
For the 300 residents of a quiet, rural village on the edge of East London, July 19, 2022, began much like any other summer’s day. But by 10am temperatures had exceeded 35C, soaring to 40.3C hours later, the country’s hottest day on record. Wildfires broke out across tinder-dry Britain leaving firefighters battling in the heatwave, the busiest day for the London Fire Brigade since the Second World War.
The Blitz-like destruction of Wennington as an inferno tore through it has come to define that unprecedented heatwave – a stark warning for other communities. In total, 19 homes were destroyed along with garages, stables and cars. Had the fire broken out while the village was sleeping, it would have claimed many lives, too.
A study by World Weather Attribution said the European fires that killed 20 people, forced 80,000 to evacuate and burned more than one million hectares (2.47 million acres) this summer were 22% more intense in 2025, its worst recorded year of wildfires. While environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, urge the government to bring in bold new polluter taxes to generate the funds to protect our communities from increasing drought, floods and wildfires, there are also things we can do to help.
“Our firefighters have been working around the clock in arduous conditions, often for days at a time, to protect lives, homes, and our natural environment,” Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Chief fire officer Andy Cole said. He added: “We’re calling on everyone to do their part – even small actions can prevent a devastating wildfire from starting.”
Steps you can take to avoid starting a wildfire to protect the countryside and homes
- Avoid having open fires or using barbecues in the countryside.
- Barbecues and campfires are banned in many country parks, campsites and open spaces. Check what is and isn’t allowed where you are, and follow the rules.
- Extinguish smoking materials properly, and don’t throw cigarette ends on the ground or out of car windows – take your litter home.
- If you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately to the Fire & Rescue Service
- When calling the Fire & Rescue Service:
- Get to a safe place
- Note the fire location (What3Words can help if you’re not sure)
- Call 999
- Meet the Fire & Rescue Service at the entrance.
- Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area.
