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| Sun, 14th Aug 2022 9:11:00 |
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500 more wildfires this year than whole of 2021 - fire chief |
There have been 745 wildfires in the UK so far this year - up from 247 in the whole of 2021
• Fire chief Mark Hardingham told the BBC there had been 150 large fires in the last week alone
• A wildfire is classified as being large enough to cover an area the size of at least two-and-a-half football pitches
• Fire chiefs are urging people not to use disposable barbeques in open spaces
Short presentational grey line
There have been almost 500 more wildfires this year than the whole of 2021, a fire chief has said.
Mark Hardingham, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said hot and dry weather had combined to create the perfect conditions for wildfires.
So far in 2022, he said there had been 745 wildfires in the UK - more than a 200% increase from the total figure of 247 for all of last year.
Mr Hardingham told BBC Radio 4 on Sunday that hundreds of grass and woodland fires happen in the UK every day.
But he said there had been larger and more dangerous blazes in 2022, including 150 in the past week alone.
How wildfires start and how to stop them
Flames faster than you can run - firefighters on wildfires
Public warned to avoid heath damaged by wildfire
Firefighters have been responding to these incidents "day in, day out" before the record-breaking temperatures of 40C (104F) in July, he said.
"They are physically exhausting and demanding incidents to deal with.
"Not only are you turning up as a firefighter in extreme, high temperatures, [but you're] wearing your firefighter clothing, you're chasing these fires across fields, you're dragging heavy equipment, you're keeping an eye out all the time for your own welfare and safety and those of your colleagues.
"Once you've dealt with that fire, more often than not you're picking up another call to go to the next fire."
A major incident, declared at the site of a heath fire in Dorset, is one of several large blazes to have broken out across the UK in the past few days.
Evidence of a campfire and a disposable barbecue were found amid the ashes at Studland Heath.
Though wildfires can sometimes occur naturally, ignited by heat from the sun or a lightning strike, most are caused by human carelessness.
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