UK Fire Brigades Union calls for more wildfire staff and resources and to declare wildfire threat a national priority

Europe is facing one of its most severe wildfire emergencies on record, with extreme heat, drought and gale‑force winds driving simultaneous crises from the U.K. to Greece, Belgium, France and Spain. 

Fire agencies warn that conditions are worsening faster than they can respond, with several countries declaring major incidents and issuing nationwide alerts.

UK: Fire Brigades Union urges to declare wildfire threat a “national priority” - and equip staff accordingly

The U.K. is enduring its fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures reaching 38.1°C in London’s Kew Gardens — the hottest day of 2026 so far .

On 10 August 2026, The Guardian reported that the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) had described the need to ensure firefighters were properly equipped to deal with the escalating wildfire threat as a “national priority.” The statement came from FBU general secretary Steve Wright.

The Fire Brigades Union called for equipping and staffing UK fire services to help them deal with the growing wildfire threat to be treated as a national priority.

What prompted the warning?

The FBU described the summer as an “unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires.” Wright argued that increasingly unpredictable environmental conditions required fire services to have sufficient numbers of properly equipped firefighters. 

The situation was particularly serious because:

• The UK was experiencing its fifth heatwave of 2026.
• Around 71% of England was experiencing what was described as a flash drought.
• Major wildfires were burning in places including the New Forest, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk.
• More than 120 firefighters were involved in the New Forest fire.
• London Fire Brigade had reported a substantial increase in emergency calls and wildfire activity.
• Three‑quarters of England are in drought, affecting 45 million people, and 27 million face water‑use restrictions (Guardian reporting) .
• London Fire Brigade reports 31% more emergency calls and nearly 25% more incidents than the five‑year average, including 392 wildfires between April and early July (FBU data) .
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham has banned disposable barbecues nationwide, calling Britain a “tinderbox” as 19 homes burned in Stourbridge and 11 major incidents were declared in 24 hours .

Greece continues to face fast‑moving, wind‑driven fires:

• In northern Greece, more than 300 people were evacuated by boat from Siviri, many still in bathing suits as flames descended on holiday villas .
• Near Athens, firefighters are battling major blazes in Porto Germeno, where gale‑force winds drove flames through pine forests; 300 more people were evacuated by sea and up to 122 acres (19 square miles) may be affected.

France: Massive evacuations and fire resurgence

France is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in modern history:

• In Gironde, 162 square miles of forest have burned — four times the size of Paris — prompting 198,000 people to return after the country’s largest peacetime evacuation, though the fire remains active and not yet “fixed” .
• In the Var region, a fire that had appeared contained raced across 4 square miles in six hours, forcing 2,500 people to remain evacuated and deploying 1,300 firefighters .

Belgium, Germany & Spain: Northern Europe faces historic fire conditions

• Belgium’s High Fens region has seen record‑breaking fire activity this season, part of a broader trend of large blazes in northern Europe after weeks of extreme heat and drought .
• In Germany, 2,000 people were evacuated from Gey near the Belgian border as fires spread through drought‑stricken forestland .
• Spain continues to battle major fires, including a blaze in Huelva that triggered evacuations of 700 people .

Climate context: Europe’s fire weather breaking records

Europe is the fastest‑warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s .

• Fire weather severity has broken records for this time of year, with France already burning more area than in any previous full year on record (Guardian analysis) .
• A major study warns that without action, wildfires in Europe will increase 39% even under the best‑case climate scenario. In a worst‑case 3.6°C world, the area burned from wildfires could triple.

 A continent under strain: Unmanageable wildfire behaviour in near future

Across Europe, heatwaves, drought and extreme winds are combining to produce fires that spread faster, burn hotter and overwhelm emergency services.

• Hundreds of thousands evacuated across France, Spain and Greece.
• Record-breaking wildfire seasons in the U.K., Belgium and Slovakia.
• Fire seasons now extending into November, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council .

Photo Credit: A Fire Brigades Union picket at Sprowston Road Fire Station in November 2013.

Creative Commons License. 

By Roger Blackwell - https://www.flickr.com/photos/rogerblackwell/10667170586/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=171455211

Further Reading:

https://www.fbu.org.uk/publications/climate-change-key-issues-fire-and-rescue-service?

https://www.fbu.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/21018%20OPT%203%20LR%20FBU%20Wildfire%20Scorched%20Firefighters%20and%20resilience%20of%20wildfire.pdf?

https://www.fbu.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/21018%20OPT%203%20LR%20…?

https://www.ft.com/content/9c0fe32f-056e-4bdc-84b4-9d72d9da9d1c?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/10/firefighters-fbu-wildfires-drought-heatwave-weather?

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/europes-wildfire-crisis-shifts-french-return-new-blazes-rcna590350?

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/tinderbox-britain-bans-disposable-barbecues-nationwide-fire-alert-rcna592600?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/30/europe-wildfires-climate-crisis-heat-summer?