Fire services in England and Wales have dealt with a record 996 wildfires so far this year.
The previous high was 994 in 2022, according to the National Resilience programme.
Nineteen of those were in the final three months, so this year’s total is expected to top 1,000.
Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chief Council (NFCC), said the wildfires had tied up crews “for days on end” and taken “a real human toll on the firefighters”.
Four summer heatwaves and a lack of rain have helped produce tinderbox conditions in many areas.
A blaze in Langdale Moor, North Yorkshire, has been one of the most persistent, with the fire burning under peat.
It started on 12 August and was declared a major incident after spreading to five square kilometres, but has now been contained for just over a week with occasional flare-ups.
Other fires broke out this summer at Holt Heath in Dorset, spreading to 72 hectares, and at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
A firefighter at the Holt Heath fire in Dorset in early August
This year’s tally is a big jump from last year, when National Resilience recorded 200 wildfires.
Some 293 were logged in 2023, 223 in 2021 and 149 in 2020.
It comes as the number of firefighters has fallen 25% since 2008, equivalent to 11,000 members, according to the NFCC.
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Mr Garrigan said some areas were forced to summon reinforcements from around the country to deal with the wildfires, “raising serious concerns about their ability to respond to their full range of duties”.
The Holt Heath fire used personnel from 47 of Dorset and Wiltshire’s fire stations, and 17 services from elsewhere also helped.
To be counted as a wildfire in England and Wales, the blaze must meet one of five criteria:
Cover at least one hectare; have flames over 1.5m high; need at least four firefighting appliances on scene; require resources for at least six hours, or pose a serious threat to life, environment, property, and infrastructure.
Scotland classifies wildfires as an uncontrolled outdoor fire that burns more than 1,000 square metres of land.
