Climate experts comment on Emergency Alert for wildfire risk

Climate and environment scientists from the University of Reading provide comment on the use of the Emergency Alert in England and Wales, following widespread wildfires due to dry and hot conditions.

Dr Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said:

“The UK is facing an increasingly serious wildfire risk as hot, dry tinderbox conditions leave much of our countryside exceptionally vulnerable to fire.

“The government’s use of the national alarm system is a reminder that climate change is not a distant or theoretical threat. We are already seeing the devastating consequences of wildfires, putting communities, homes, wildlife and our emergency services under enormous pressure. 

“Everyone has a role to play and should follow fire-safety advice, avoid lighting fires or using barbecues in high-risk areas.

“These conditions are a warning of how quickly the extreme heat and drought we are now more vulnerable to, thanks to fossil fuel use, can turn into a major emergency.”

Dr Akshay Deoras, climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, said:

“The latest wireless emergency alert about the high risk of wildfires in the UK is a good use of the wireless emergency alert system, which was intended exactly for this purpose, to warn people about significant risks and help them avoid actions that could cause harm.

“Some parts of the UK have gone more than two months without meaningful rainfall. July was exceptionally dry and the first half of August has continued in the same vein. A series of dry days and five heatwaves have left parts of the UK, particularly the South East, bone dry and with vegetation as dry as tinder. The forecast for the week ahead in shows little in the way of respite for many of the most at-risk areas.

“When vegetation and soil are bone dry, a small spark can be all it takes to turn a patch of grass into a fast-moving wildfire.”