Crews fought the flare-up of a moorland blaze in the Peak District with helicopter water drops this weekend as the public were warned of the “extreme” risk of wildfires across vast swaths of the country.
Eight fire engines and a helicopter attended the fires near Glossop in Derbyshire yesterday, with walkers urged to avoid closed footpaths. The blaze first broke out over two weeks ago, spreading across more than 600 acres of moorland.
Firefighters worked through Friday night to fight a wildfire at Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs national park. Eight fire engines and five specialist support vehicles were called to tackle the blaze .
The Natural Hazards Partnership, a consortium of public bodies and scientific agencies, has issued a red alert over an extreme wildfire risk in southern England, the Midlands and some northern areas. The alert is predicted to extend to most of Wales over the weekend, according to officials.
The heatwave across Europe has caused wildfires in several countries. In the Almería province in Spain 12 people have been killed in one of the country’s worst ever wildfires.
As the UK swelters in the third heatwave of 2026, the Forestry Commission has warned that low humidity and strong gusting winds this weekend increase the risk of ignition and rapid fire spread.
Farmers are concerned that the parched landscape means a wildfire could consume vast tracts of the countryside “in a flash”.
John Shears, who farms 80 acres at Chagford on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, said the risk was the highest since the extended heatwave in summer of 1976. “If a fire was to start now, there would be no stopping it,” he said. “It would go too fast. It would wipe out the forest of Dartmoor in no time at all.”
Richard Drysdale, director of conservation and communities at Dartmoor National Park Authority, said the park had a management plan for combating the threats from wildfires, with firebreaks across the park. He said most wildfires were caused by people, and education was key.
“We have tragically seen in Spain the speed at which wildfires can move,” he said. “People might think that they can outrun it or be able to escape, but if a wildfire takes hold there can be loss of human and animal life.”
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The public are urged not to light fires; to take a picnic with them on days out rather than a barbecue; and to make sure that they take all litter home.
Fire and rescue services have responded to several wildfires in recent weeks, mainly in southern and eastern England. There have been fewer wildfires to date in England and Wales in 2026 than there were last year, with 342 wildfires recorded between 1 January and 6 July this year, compared with 639 during the same period last year, according to figures published by the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Hundreds of firefighters supported by helicopters were still fighting a wildfire in south-eastern Spain which has scorched about 25 square miles of forest and farmland.
The fire broke out late on Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains. Spanish authorities have said four of the 12 dead are believed to be British.
Officials have said some of those who died had not taken a recommended evacuation route, but it is unclear how the emergency information was relayed. Seven people are reported to have died on foot after abandoning their cars.
There have also been extensive wildfires in Portugal, Spain and Greece. Last month was the hottest June recorded for western Europe, according to meteorological data published by the EU.
Photograph by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images