Wildfires rage across Europe every summer. But the ferocity and size of the wildfires currently burning across the continent is new. And worryingly for the UK, as we endure our fourth heatwave of the year, heatwaves are largely to blame.
So far this year, blazes in Spain, France and elsewhere have ravaged a similar-sized area as they did in the same period in 2025, which was itself a record.
But, according to Imperial College London fire science professor Guillermo Rein, “what is uncommon is the current number of destructive wildfires: fires that spread rapidly, overwhelm fire brigades and force communities to evacuate”. And, he says, “the connection with this summer’s repeated heatwaves is strong”.
With heatwaves more and more likely in future, and images of a wildfire taking hold on Dunwich Heath in Suffolk this morning, you might worry about what you’d do if your house was in the path of a wildfire. To know how to keep your home safe from wildfires, it’s important to know how they start.
Prolonged periods of hot, dry weather leave grassland, plants and other kinds of vegetation unusually dry, making them extremely flammable. And so when an “ignition” occurs – thanks to a cigarette butt, or maybe a barbecue – a wildfire can escalate rapidly, especially if it’s windy.
