Wildfire risk remains after devastating summer

Firefighters in Jersey, Devon and Cornwall have warned the risk of wildfires remains high after one of the busiest summers in recent years.

Jersey crews attended 24 wildfires between June and August, while Devon Fire and Rescue Service teams tackled more than 1,000 open-land fires.

In Cornwall, firefighters from Wadebridge Community Fire Station were mobilised to 95 incidents in 92 days since the beginning of June.

Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said, despite recent rainfall, "this summer's record-breaking heat has left some areas vulnerable and the risk of wildfire remains very real".

In Jersey, firefighters attended 24 vegetation-related fires between June and August, compared with 13 during the same period in 2025, eight in 2024 and five in 2023, according to Jersey Fire and Rescue Service.

The service said: "The hot, dry weather has increased operational demand, with a rise in outdoor fire incidents over the summer."

It said many of the incidents had involved "controlled burns or bonfires getting out of control, as well as the careless disposal of items such as cigarettes and disposable barbecues".

One of the most serious incidents happened at Corbière on 24 August, when strong winds spread a bonfire, which put nearby property and Jersey Water's desalination plant at risk.

Eighteen firefighters worked for more than four hours to bring the fire under control.

The service also attended 18 false alarms about smoke over the summer, 14 of which had related to controlled burns.

In Devon, firefighters said they had experienced an exceptionally busy summer.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it had recorded "four of our top ten busiest days for calls in the last 10 years" since 25 June and "three of our top 10 busiest days for fires attended".

Between 1 June and 18 August, crews attended 1,737 fires, of which 1,058 were classified as fires in the open.

The figure compares with 928 open-land fires during the same period in 2025 and 553 in 2024.

The service said crews made 5,197 attendances at incidents between 1 June and 18 August, "averaging 108 a day since 1 July".

During the first six months of the year, attendances had averaged 64.7 a day, the service added.

In Cornwall, crews from Wadebridge Community Fire Station were mobilised to 95 incidents in just 92 days since the beginning of June.

The station's fire chief said the firefighters had responded from their homes and workplaces while balancing "their jobs, families and home lives".

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service's chief fire officer, Kathryn Billing, said after what had been "quite a devastating summer" for landowners, crews would work with them through the winter to "get on the front foot with those firebreaks and land management".

"What we also want to do is change public behaviour and make sure people are having BBQs safely, not having bonfires and just ensuring they're playing their part as well to make sure the fires don't start in the beginning," she added.

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