BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • England
  • Local News
  • Bristol

'Significant' wildfires in West of England but fire services 'coping'

  • Published
    11 August 2022
Share page
About sharing
Smoke during a fire in PewseyImage source, Jonathan Kerr
Image caption,

Continued hot weather means the ground remains very dry and even the smallest spark can lead to devastating fires

Fire services in the West are having to deal with a "significant number" of calls outs to wildfires but say they are currently coping with demand.

Dry conditions have prompted a spike in fires and demands on the services.

Stuart Gillion, from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service, added there were "open space protection orders" meaning barbeques and camp fires were banned.

He said the service was now calling on councils to enforce the ban.

Mr Gillion, the services group manager, said: "There are open space protection orders around Dorset and Wiltshire where campfires and barbeques are prohibited by law now."

A fire engine in a fieldImage source, Taunton Fire Station
Image caption,

Farmers have been dealing with wildfires costing them acres of grain

An Avon Fire and Rescue spokesperson said the service supported a decision taken by organisers of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta to ban barbecue's and fireworks on site this weekend.

They said with the ground being so dry even the "smallest spark" can lead to "devastating fires.

"[With] most wildfires started by human behaviour, such as a barbecue or even a discarded cigarette, we want to work with everyone this summer to reduce fires in our communities," they added.

A modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive.

Is your postcode area vulnerable to extreme heat?

Enter your full postcode to find out

Find out more about the data

The heat hazard score for each postcode area was calculated by 4 Earth Intelligence (a satellite analytics company), who measured the average land surface temperature over a sample of days across the past three summers in Great Britain.

Each heat hazard score represents different sized groups, as shown in the scale. This is to highlight the places where the temperature in an area was higher compared to the rest of Great Britain, once the temperature had been adjusted to make it comparable across regions.

For example, a score of one means the postcode was in the lowest 40% of potential heat hazard areas, while a score of five means it was in the top 1% of potential heat hazard areas.

If your postcode is represented by or contains a small square, this may be because your building has too many addresses in it for a single postcode. This block can be shown adjacent to areas with the same postcode, or a few streets away.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service attended 242 fires in May, 266 in June and 388 in July with nearly half of July fires (189) outdoors and 95 involving grass, woodland, or crops.

Mr Gillion said Dorset and Wiltshire experienced a "significant rise in incident numbers compared to the same period last year, up 182% on the number of fires in the open".

He said although they are "stretched at times when we have simultaneous or back to back incidents", they are managing to "resource appropriately".

"It has been very much a team effort," he added.

A fire engine on scorched fieldsImage source, Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Image caption,

A fire engine on fields destroyed by fire, as has been seen in wildfires across the west

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Fire service said it has been dealing with a "significant number of calls" involving fires in the open, some of which cover areas up to 110,000 sq meters.

They said fire incidents including grassland, vegetation, pasture, grazing, straw stubble, and similar, went from six recorded incidents in 2021 to 53 fires in 2022 during the same dates, 1-10 August.

However, they said they are managing to respond to calls with their own staff and have "really good resilience arrangements in place with neighbouring [fire services] and also National Resilience".

View form a fire engine as it approaches a wildfireImage source, Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Image caption,

Avon Fire and Rescue said they want to work with everyone "to reduce fires in our communities"

A Devon and Somerset spokesperson said as officers deal with the increase in incidents involving fires in fields and moorland, it had been important to factor in the effect "the extreme heat and conditions" have on staff and their welfare.

She said having in-built flexibility and being able to move resources as required, meant the force could respond "as usual" to emergencies.

The spokesperson said is was important for people to be mindful of the damage barbeques and cigarettes can cause but also to clear up their litter.

"Leaving litter on grass, in particular glass bottles, is not only antisocial but also a fire risk as the glass magnifies the sun's rays and can cause fires."

A fire officer with a hose putting water on a scorched field with a fire engine in the backgorundImage source, Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Image caption,

Hot weather impacted officers as the incidents are "more arduous" with fire spreading quickly, a spokesperson said

BBC West weather forecaster Ian Fergusson said the Met Office has developed a modelling system that provides guidance on potential fire severity, "in other words just how bad a fire may become, if and where they occur".

He said a similar tool used in Canada "combines a variety of forecast parameters such as wind, rainfall, temperature and so-forth to gauge the likely severity of wildfires.

"[The] latest output from the Met Office's Fire Severity Index (FSI) indicates parts of southern England, including in the West Country, reaching exceptional levels of fire severity by later this week," he added.

Mr Fergusson said there is "no risk of lightning [which is] the key source of natural wildfire ignition, until perhaps later Sunday and then at times on into next week".

The FSI is updated each night and can be seen here, external.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk , external

Related topics

  • Avon Fire and Rescue Service
  • Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Gloucestershire
  • Bristol
  • Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

More on this story

  • Warnings as firefighters battle numerous blazes

    • Published
      8 August 2022
    Christopher Day
  • UK set for new heatwave as temperatures head to 35C

    • Published
      8 August 2022
    A man walks along the dry grass in Primrose Hill, north London
  • Fire crews fight 'terrifying' farmland grass fire

    • Published
      8 August 2022
    Fire officers tackling the blaze

Related internet links

  • Home - Avon Fire & Rescue Service

  • Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service

  • Homepage - Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

  • Glosfire

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

From other local news sites

  • Police called after flag row breaks out on Bristol street

    • External
      Bristol Live
  • A Bristol neighbourhood could get £20m from new 'True Patriots' Fund - here's what you need to know

    • External
      BristolWorld
  • Seaside Somerset town's ‘forgotten’ estates set to thrive again

    • External
      Bristol Live
  • Clare Moody and Local Authority leaders send strong anti-hate message

    • External
      Weston Mercury
  • Bristol restaurant features in series unearthing “mysterious” ways of Michelin inspectors

    • External
      Bristol 247
  • New South Bristol NHS dentist surgery planned amid dire shortage of places

    • External
      BristolWorld
Information about BBC links to other news sites

Top stories

  • Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Backlash from Labour MPs to Burnham leadership ambitions

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Children's names, pictures and addresses stolen in nursery chain hack

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • 'Film me all you want' - teenage girls with no fear of police torment one High Street

    A group of teenagers, blurred, run amok in a shop as they carry out antisocial behaviour, as seen from a CCTV camera at a high angle.
  • Burnham's provocative challenge to Starmer shows he is serious

    A smiling Andy Burnham looks at Sir Keir Starmer, who is licking his lips. They are the launch of Labour's general election manifesto
  • Matthew McConaughey on starring with his family in film about California's deadliest wildfire

    Matthew, Kay and Levi McConaughey in smart clothes on the red carpet for the film at Toronto Film Festival
  • 'She doesn't get another childhood': The lives on hold waiting for wheelchairs

    Wren is looking directly into the camera with a wide smile. She is wearing her school uniform and is sitting in her manual wheelchair. 
Wren's hair is tied up in a ponytail and is wearing leg splints and white trainers.
The picture has been taken in a wooded area.
  • 'No warning' - residents reel from deadly flood after typhoon bursts Taiwan lake

    A resident walks with a shovel along a mud-covered road in Hualien on September 24, 2025, following the bursting of a barrier lake during the passing of Super Typhoon Ragasa.
  • It's got Peaky Blinders swagger, says House of Guinness writer

    James Norton in character as Sean Rafferty wearing a black top hat and white scarf
  • America's blame game over Canada's wildfire smoke misses the point, experts say

    The sun is shrouded by smoke from wildfires in Canada as it rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan, the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building in New York City on June 11, 2025, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey
  • Sonic the Hedgehog boss on how the series keeps up to speed

    A close-up of Sonic the Hedgehog, with a look of competitive determination on his face as he steers a car at high-speed past obstacles.
  • Meet the history-making astronauts headed for the Moon

    The crew in their orange flight suits standing in what looks like an Orion training room all smiling and with their arms folded
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Ex-Arsenal youth striker dies after injury during game

  2. 2

    Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme

  3. 3

    Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, scientists claim

  4. 4

    Backlash from Labour MPs to Burnham leadership ambitions

  5. 5

    Emma Watson says she still loves JK Rowling despite rift over trans views

  6. 6

    Which areas are due to get share of £5bn funding boost?

  7. 7

    Children's names, pictures and addresses stolen in nursery chain hack

  8. 8

    Former French president Sarkozy given five-year sentence after Libya case

  9. 9

    Taxi driver 'regrets' not helping Southport victims

  10. 10

    Asylum seeker taxi bills must stop, says PM

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Zara McDermott explores the dark side of Thailand

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise
  • An exclusive look at an epic Iron Maiden tour

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Iron Maiden: Flight 666 has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Iron Maiden: Flight 666
  • Follow detectives hunting for a drugs kingpin

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    On The Front Line has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    On the Front Line: Catching A Crime Boss
  • The rise and fall London's most legendary gangsters

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Legend has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Legend
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.