Exceptional wildfire risk and heat health alerts issued across parts of the UK
Parts of the United Kingdom are facing an exceptional risk of wildfires as a record-breaking heatwave continues into a second week. Natural England has assessed a large part of southern England and pockets of the south Midlands as being at exceptional risk on Sunday, while many other areas in England and Wales are at very high risk. The warning comes as amber and yellow heat health alerts have been issued across England and Wales.
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The UK Health Security Agency said the alerts run from 09:00 BST on 12 July to 21:00 on 15 July. It said significant impacts are likely across health and social care services because of the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among people with health conditions and those aged 65 and older. Amber alerts are in place until Wednesday evening for south-west England and the West Midlands, while a yellow alert covers the north-west of England, the East Midlands, the east of England, London and the south-east for the same period.
Temperatures have eased slightly in some coastal areas because of a brisker wind, but much of western England and Wales is still expected to remain hot through the week. Forecast highs of 26C to 30C are widely expected, with 31C to 33C possible in parts of south-east Wales and south-west England through Sunday. From Monday, temperatures are expected to stay around 30C to 32C in England and Wales, although they are not expected to match last week's mid-30s readings.
The warnings matter because hot, dry conditions increase the chance that vegetation will ignite and spread fire quickly. Three record-breaking heatwaves and a prolonged lack of rainfall have already left many parts of England and Wales facing rising wildfire risk. The current alerts also point to pressure on health services at a time when demand can increase sharply during prolonged heat.
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The incident follows an earlier wildfire in Glossop, Derbyshire, on 25 June, when intense early-summer heat left vegetation dry and highly flammable. That fire is part of the wider pattern of elevated fire danger described in the current warnings. The latest assessment suggests the risk is not confined to one area, but extends across several regions of England and Wales.
What remains unclear is how long the exceptional risk will persist beyond the current alert period and whether temperatures will rise again later in the week. The key factors to watch are rainfall, wind conditions and any further changes to the heat health alerts. The situation is being monitored across both fire and health services as the heatwave continues.
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