Large parts of the UK risk being faced with “exceptional” wildfires this week as the heatwave continues, experts have warned.
Heat-related health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are in place across most of England from Sunday until Wednesday evening, with the Met Office predicting a continuation of the country’s record-breaking recent scorching heat and dry weather into the week ahead.
The forecaster’s Fire Severity Index (FSI) has placed areas of southern England and the Midlands in its highest category of “exceptional” severity when it comes to potential wildfires – with blazes already reported in some parts of the country.
Using information such as wind speed, temperature, time of year and rainfall, the FSI assesses how severe a fire could become if one were to start. Its latest assessment, displayed online by Natural England, suggests a large swathe of the country – extending to parts of the east and southeast – could be severely impacted in the days ahead if a blaze were to begin.
Most of the rest of England and Wales is deemed to be in the “very high” severity category, with three record-breaking heatwaves and a prolonged lack of rainfall increasing the risk of wildfires.
