Key facts
- England recorded 624 wildfires in July 2026, the highest monthly total on record.
- A total of 1,354 wildfires have been recorded in England so far in 2026.
- The summer of 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, with 40 days exceeding 30C.
- The first recorded death due to a wildfire in the UK occurred in 2026.
- The government had previously scrapped plans to prepare the countryside for wildfires.
- Fire crews reportedly lack proper protective gear to tackle wildfires.
July 2026 was the worst on record for wildfires in England, with provisional data revealing 624 incidents in the month, bringing the year's total to 1,354. This makes 2026 the second-worst year for wildfires, surpassed only by 2022 when 1,592 were recorded.
The punishingly hot and dry weather of summer 2026, which saw 40 days with temperatures above 30C, has been directly linked by scientists to the climate crisis driven by fossil-fuel burning. This year also marked the first time a death has been recorded due to a wildfire in the UK, involving a 70-year-old man in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire.
Recent revelations indicate the government quietly abandoned plans to prepare the countryside for wildfires, despite data showing fire crews lack adequate protective gear. Alistair Carmichael, chair of the Commons environment food and rural affairs committee, has questioned whether more resources could have mitigated the impact of this summer's fires.
In August, following a wildfire that spread to several homes in Stourbridge, Prime Minister Andy Burnham convened an emergency Cobra meeting and implemented a temporary ban on disposable barbecues. The data highlights a clear upward trend in wildfires since 2018, with annual totals consistently exceeding 950 incidents in four of the last nine years, compared to less than 750 between 2010 and 2017.
Environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole criticized successive governments for their response, urging radical changes to landscape management and a reduction in fossil fuel use at the upcoming Wildfire Summit. A government spokesperson acknowledged the challenging wildfire season and stated that nearly £100 million has been invested to upgrade national resilience assets, with a summit planned to inform future decision-making on equipment and resources.