Britain’s first-ever 'megafire' burns 11,000 hectares in Scottish Highlands

Britain experienced one of the worst wildfires of its history in June 2025. Carrbridge and Dava Moor were completely destroyed in the Scottish Highland wildfires that burned over 11,000 hectares of forest.

The blaze has been declared as the first official mega fire of Britain and scientists have warned that these extreme fires can occur more frequently amid worsening effects of climate change.

For context, there exists no specific threshold to declare a wildfire as a megafire but typically a fire that burns over 10,000 hectares can be declared a megafire.

The United Kingdom has experienced one of the warmest years on record and the risk of wildfires have risen across the region.

A fire expert from the University of Anglia Dr Matthew Jones has said, “Though the UK is obviously not as fire-prone as other world regions, risks of wildfire absolutely are rising and some of those risks are becoming a reality.”

The State of Wildfire report reveals that climate change increased the likelihood of wildfire between March 2024 and February 2025.

Dr Jones stated that climate change is laying the groundwork for deadlier fires that could spread much faster and across larger areas.

He added that a hot, dry landscape is the primary ingredient for wildfires to ignite.