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 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.
The UK and Ireland had a "drier than average" March, according to Europe's Copernicus climate monitor. Last month was also the hottest March ever recorded in Europe by a significant margin.
"With the increase in extreme weather events, we know that fire and rescue services are stretched as they seek to keep their communities safe," said NFCC chair Phil Garrigan.
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.
Firefighters in Northern Ireland have been battling dozens of blazes in the last week, with many residents having to evacuate homes and a weather warning for wildfires.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it attended 296 wildfires between April 3-10, many of which were thought to be started deliberately.
An "extreme" wildfire warning was issued for Scotland on Friday and Saturday, after multiple blazes broke out the previous week.
According to Michael Humphreys from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), wetter weather last year meant fewer blazes in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
As Pune gears up for Pride March tomorrow, a transgender couple faces bureaucratic hurdles as they wait to tie the knot
Nearly two years ago, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment, affirmed the rights of transgender persons in heterosexual relationships to marry under existing laws. Priti, 29, a transgender from Jamshedpur who aspires to be a beautician and is waiting to tie the knot with Pune-based Trinay, 34, a transman legally recognised as male on his Aadhaar card, however faces several challenges to exercising this right. 'I have my TG Identity card and like any other woman, I want to be a wife, parent, and live with my husband. However, it has been more than one and a half years since the judgment but our transgender community still awaits this right,' Priti said. She hopes to raise this issue at the 13th Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer Pride March to be held in Pune on Sunday. Priti, who has passed Class 12 and worked in the hotel management sector, is yet to be accepted by her family. 'I am a transgender person, not a sex worker. I want to become a beautician and earn my living. Mujhe jeena hai (I want to live),' Priti said. She met Trinay on an online portal, and before long, they forged a deep connection as they opened up about their personal struggles, finding strength and understanding in each other's stories. Trinay, assigned female at birth, but who always felt like a male deep inside, had experienced several challenges due to his situation. 'I wanted to pee like a boy, and wear tight T-shirts. Menstruation would give me panic attacks,' recalled Trinay, who works at a tech firm in the city. Deciding that he could not live this dual life anymore, he eventually transitioned to a male after undergoing gender affirming surgery. Speaking to The Indian Express, Trinay said, 'Priti and I have been doing the rounds of the marriage registrar's office only to return disappointed. Instead of guiding us on the online application process and other details, we were asked to obtain a court order.' The duo met Bindumadhav Khire, an LGBTIQ activist and director of Bindu Queer Rights Foundation, Pune, and spoke about their difficulty in registering their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. 'Both of them have the requisite IDs. The transman has a collector-issued ID with gender stated as 'male' and the other transgender person has a collector-issued ID with the gender stated as 'transgender' as per provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the corresponding Rules (2020). I too approached the Marriage Registrar, but was told that they have not received any notification with regard to the legality of registering the marriage of transgender people. So they have to obtain an order from the high court or a notification from the government in this regard,' Khire told The Indian Express. The activist later filed a grievance in May on the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System to the Ministry of Home Affairs/Legislative Matters seeking a notification by the central government, to all states and Union territories, on the legality of registering the marriage of a transgender person in a heterosexual relationship. Khire, who received a response on June 6, said that suggestions made in the grievance have been noted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 'We now hope that action will be taken in this case,' Khire said. When contacted, senior lawyer Anand Grover said that as per the top court's ruling, there was no legal prohibition on transgender individuals from getting married. Meanwhile, at the Marriage Registrar's office, authorities said that the process is now online and they have not received any application from transgender persons so far. While experts said it was likely that some registration offices may require guidance from higher authorities, if they have not previously handled such registrations, Khire said that it was important that LGBTIQ rights granted by the Supreme Court do not remain only on paper. 'This LGBTIQ Pride Month, it is important that LGBTIQ rights granted by the Supreme Court are implemented in letter and spirit. Transgenders who were granted legal recognition in the 2014 judgment (National Legal Services Authority v/s Union of India) still await their right to marry the person of their choice,' Khire added. As per the Supreme Court judgment dated October 17, 2023, in the case involving one Supriyo Chakraborty, the apex court stated, '…..Consequently, we agree with the conclusion…that transgender persons in heterosexual relations have the right to marry under existing laws, including in personal laws regulating marriage. The court's affirmation of the HC judgment in Arun Kumar v Inspector General of Registration…is based upon a correct analysis.' In Arun Kumar's case, the Madras High Court had said in 2019, 'A marriage solemnized between a male and a transwoman, both professing Hindu religion, is a valid marriage in terms of Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Registrar of Marriages is bound to register the same. By holding so, this Court is not breaking any new ground. It is merely stating the obvious. Sometimes, to see the obvious, one needs not only physical vision in the eye but also love in the heart.' Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS 'Naked' British tourist is found dead on the Algarve just days after another Brit's body was found when he vanished during stag do
A 'naked' British tourist has been found dead on the Algarve, just days after another Brit's body was discovered following his mystery disappearance during a stag do. Greg Monks, 37, from Glasgow, was discovered in the party resort of Albufeira on Wednesday. This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
South Wales Argus
20 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘will not be at the Club World Cup' with future still unclear
The 40-year-old's contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, who have not qualified for the tournament in the United States, expires at the end of June. Earlier this year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Portugal captain Ronaldo joining one of the sides involved in the competition, which starts next Saturday. This chapter is story? Still being to all. — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) May 26, 2025 But speaking ahead of his country's Nations League final against Spain on Sunday evening in Munich, the forward said: 'I will not be at the Club World Cup. 'Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball.' Ronaldo's club future remains unclear. He posted 'this chapter is over' on social media following Al-Nassr's final league game of the season in May. However, according to reports, he could agree a new deal to remain with the club he joined from Manchester United in 2023. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo revealed a decision on his future was 'almost final'.
