‘Very extreme danger of wildfires in UK’ as temperatures set to top 40C

There is “very extreme danger” of wildfire in parts of the UK as the country braces for 40C heat, a European forecaster has warned.

The European Forest Fire Information System has put out the warning for parts of the UK, Spain, France and Italy - the highest level of risk on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ fire weather index.

In the UK, the area most at risk, highlighted on the map in dark purple, is in the southeast of England, the same area of the country which is expected to record the UK’s highest temperatures ever on Tuesday.

The Met Office has forecast “extraordinary” heat with the mercury expected to rise beyond 40C in parts of eastern England. It comes as the UK recorded its warmest night ever overnight.

Wales recorded its highest temperature twice in one day on Monday, and Scotland could also record its hottest day with 34C forecast for areas including the Scottish Borders, the Met Office said.

Wildfires have torn through the continent in recent weeks, fuelled by extreme heatwaves and droughts with the total area burned in France, Spain and Portugal exceeding 40,000 hectares in the past 10 days. The Gironde region of southwest France, Extremadura and Galacia in Spain and parts of Portugal have been particularly badly affected.

The total carbon emissions from wildfires in Spain between 1 June and 18 July are already higher than the June-July total from 2003-2021, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

Meanwhile, UK firefighters said on Monday they had attended 24 wildfires in 48 hours in England and Wales - double the number recorded in all of July last year.

“Everything is just tinder dry right across the country,” Paul Hedley, the lead on wildfires for the National Fire Chiefs Council, told The Independent, calling on the public to be “really careful” and not to have BBQs or campfires.