England and Wales have seen as many wildfires in 2026 so far as there were in the whole of last year, new figures have revealed, as the Prime Minister is set to convene an emergency meeting about the extreme weather facing the country.
Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the same as last year’s record-breaking total.
The figures come as Andy Burnham is set to chair an emergency Cobra committee later on Wednesday in response to a prolonged spell of exceptionally hot and dry weather.
The Prime Minister has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires.
According to NFCC data shared with the Press Association, this year’s figures have also surpassed the number of wildfires over the same period in 2025.
Between January 1 and August 12 last year, 869 wildfires were recorded, in what was then the worst year on record.
Over the same period in 2022, also one of the worst years for wildfires, the figure was 843.
NFCC chairman Phil Garrigan told PA: “Most wildfires in the UK are caused because of human behaviours, careless, accidental or unfortunately intentional acts.
“But as climate change brings more frequent periods of hot, dry weather, the conditions for wildfires are becoming more dangerous, increasing their scale and intensity.
“Hot, dry weather and drought are turning parts of the UK into tinderbox landscapes, allowing fires to spread faster, burn longer and place greater pressure on fire and rescue services.
“Wildfires are becoming part of our new reality and we need to be honest about both the causes and the conditions that are driving them.
“While over 1,000 wildfires have been recorded so far this year, the incident numbers alone do not tell the full story.
“They do not capture the scale, duration and complexity of these incidents, or the impact they have on communities, the environment and fire and rescue services.
“As their impact grows, we must work with all stakeholders to ensure we have the right capabilities needed to protect our communities and to respond effectively when wildfires occur.”
The Prime Minister had earlier told reporters people should not be using single-use barbecues “at this time” amid a “significant problem” of wildfires in the south, where a blaze hit protected heathland in the New Forest, Hampshire.
Crews from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have continued battling the blaze, which started after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday.
The Prime Minister suggested a temporary ban on disposable barbecues could be one means of preventing further fires to be discussed when ministers meet on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Burnham said: “You know, the wildfires I mentioned, many of them have been created by disposable barbecues, that people can take out. I understand why people want to go out and do that.
“But we need to, in my view, have a situation where we almost just have a temporary ban on those things. We’re going to look at that issue today.”
No details were provided of how the ban could be implemented, or when it could be put in place, but most major UK supermarkets have suspended sales of disposable barbecues in recent weeks in line with voluntary guidance from the NFCC.
Nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment, and temperatures are expected to climb as high as 38C in some parts of England on Thursday.
A key climate adviser has warned it “gets worse from here” until the greenhouse gas emissions – mostly caused by burning fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles, home heating and industry – behind global warming are cut to zero overall, known as net zero.
Baroness Brown, who chairs the independent advisory Climate Change Committee’s adaptation work, told PA: “We need to remember that this is as good as it gets.
“It gets worse from here. Until we get to net zero, things go on getting worse.”
She also urged the Government to take steps to help the UK adapt to rising temperatures, such as air conditioning in hospitals, schools and for vulnerable families.
In the latest heatwave, rare amber “extreme heat” warnings have been issued by the Met Office for London and parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands and South Yorkshire from 9am to midnight on Thursday.
Southern Water has applied for a rare drought order which would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling non-domestic swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
It warned that 165,000 people in the Southampton West supply area could face restricted supplies.
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.
The Environment Agency said 71.3% of England is now experiencing “flash drought”, as a dry start to August followed the country’s driest July on record.
