Fire Crews Tackled Record Number Of Serious Fires During 2022 Heatwaves

Fire crews attended a record number of serious outdoor blazes in England in summer 2022 as scorching temperatures caused the number of naturally occurring wildfires to soar.

- Michael Goodier

Figures released by the Home Office show there were 4,017 serious outdoor fires between July and September, during the period of record summer temperatures - almost three times as many as in the same period in 2021.

The figure was also 22% higher than that for 2018, the previous record summer for outdoor fires, when firefighters and the military were called to widespread burning in moorland areas around Greater Manchester.

About one in three of the fires in 2022 were started deliberately, with the majority accidental. However, 301 of the fires were marked as a "natural occurrence", almost double the number in 2018 and far more than any other year on record. Between July and September 2021, just 33 naturally occurring outdoor fires were recorded.

There were a series of heatwaves last year as England experienced the driest July since 1935 and the warmest summer on record.

The Home Office figures cover the more serious fires attended by fire crews, which are those that have casualties, require five or more pumps to tackle, or happen at outdoor locations such as bridges, telephone boxes, boats or trains.