UK wildfires push records in first four months of 2025

LONDON: More than 110 wildfires have raged in the UK since the start of the year, according to satellite data released on Monday, making it one of the worst years on record.

At least 111 fires have torched an area of nearly 24,500 hectares across the country since January 1, according to data Monday from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The number of wildfires and area affected by them is higher than average for this time of the year, and higher than the same period in 2024.

Only 2019 was worse in terms of the area burned (28,700 hectares) and 2022 for the number of fires (151) for the same period, according to the Press Association news agency. Last week, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said fire and rescue services had already responded to 380 wildfires so far this year in England and Wales -- more than double the same period in 2022.

The EFFIS data is based on satellite readings and only maps fires that are 30 hectares or larger -- accounting for the difference with records from the local authority. In comparison, the NFCC measures wildfires with an area of at least one hectare. “A particularly dry March, followed by warmer-than-average temperatures in April, has seen a number of significant wildfires across the UK over the last fortnight,” the NFCC said in a statement.