Dry April and March leads to more wildfires in the UK so far in 2025 than in any full year over past decade
27 April 2025, 11:32 | Updated: 27 April 2025, 11:50
More land in the UK has been burned by wildfires so far in 2025 than in any full year over the past decade, new figures have shown.
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Data from the Global Wildfire Information System which has been recording fire activity since 2012, show that more than 29,200 hectares have burned so far in 2025.
The previous record set in 2019 was 28,100 hectares.
The researchers said that a long stint of dry, sunny weather in March and early April created the right conditions for fires.
Wildfires are a regular occurrence in the UK during early spring, as dead or dormant vegetation left over from winter can dry out quickly and ignite easily.
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Recent wet weather has helped to ease the fire risk for now, but not before a record amount of land was affected.
The Met Office said the fires are due to dry and breezy conditions in spring which came after a damp winter, meaning there was "fuel" for the blazes because of plant growth.
Further dry conditions could make 2025 the worst year for wildfires.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said fire and rescue services in England and Wales have responded to 411 wildfires so far this year - more than double the number for the same period in 2022 (189).
An NFCC spokesman said: "These figures paint a concerning picture about the growing incident rate of wildfires in the UK.
"Fire and rescue services across the UK stand ready and prepared to respond to wildfires and keep communities safe.
"However, responding to wildfires requires a lot of resource and often over long periods of time, which puts pressure on other fire and rescue service activities.
"Increasing extreme weather events mean there is a rising demand on fire and rescue services and that must be met with long-term and sustained investment. This is central to ensuring we can continue to keep our communities safe."
