Hundreds of people have been evacuated and a major nuclear power plant is on alert as a huge wildfire threatens homes on the Suffolk coast, with Britain gripped by its fourth heatwave.
A major incident has been declared with families, including babies and children, from 200 properties, holiday cottages, a farm and a caravan park forced to flee in the middle of the night as the flames engulfed Dunwich Heath on Wednesday.
More than 120 firefighters worked throughout the night in “arduous conditions” to control the “large-scale, wind-driven” inferno, which is spreading rapidly southwest, posing a threat to the 19th-century St James’ Church and prompting major concerns over the safety of the energy plant Sizewell B, which supplies electricity to 2.5 million homes.
An evacuation centre has been set up at Westleton Village Hall and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service chief Jon Lacey said it was “difficult to say” when they will be able to return, warning the blaze was expected to rage for up to 36 hours. The cause of the fire has not yet been established.
It comes as fire services across the UK are under extreme pressure, with nearly 400 wildfires recorded in July so far, making it the busiest July on record. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said the number of wildfires this year has already reached the total number for the whole of 2021, 2023 and 2024 combined.
Phil Garrigan, chair of the NFCC said: “Wildfires are no longer isolated or seasonal events. They are becoming a recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities and emergency services. As climate and environmental conditions continue to change, we must ensure our fire and rescue services are equipped to meet that challenge.
“We cannot afford to treat wildfires as an emerging risk any longer. They are a reality now, and our national capability must evolve accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the whole of Wales and half of England is now in drought, with other areas at risk, as rivers run dry and farmers warn record dry conditions could fuel food shortages and price hikes.
Anna Seymour, 56, had been staying at a log cabin in with her two kittens at Cliff House Holiday Park, in Suffolk, where 200 caravans were evacuated, when she became aware of smoke along the heath.
"I can't remember the exact time we were [evacuated] I was sitting at the clubhouse and there was lots of noise, fire engines. It’s something you never obviously hear there because it's just not a place to hear any noise really, and lots of fire engines were going up towards the heath,” she told The Independent.
“Then it was about 20 minutes later, someone said that Dunwich was on fire. I went back to the lodge to check the kittens and then somebody knocked at the door and said, 'go to the evacuation point.'”
She described the evacuation as a calm process, but said there was a “lot of smoke” once they left the site.
Justin North told the BBC that there was “hammering” on the door of his holiday cottage at Dunwich Cliffs at around 11:30pm and that he and his wife were asked to “go immediately”.
The couple were forced to sleep in their car before being able to access the evacuation centre, where they said there was a “kind of blitz spirit” among residents.
The blaze is around 3 miles away from Sizewell B, where authorities are understood to be monitoring the situation, which firefighters called “live and dynamic”.
A spokesperson for EDF, which operates the site, said: “The fire at Dunwich Heath is not currently affecting operations at Sizewell B power station but we are continuing to monitor the situation.”
Authorities confirmed the major incident status was enacted in Suffolk “due to the size and complexity” of the rapidly developing situation, with the fire currently travelling inland.
Dan Davis, a station manager for the service, has issued an urgent plea for the public to steer clear of the area and ensure windows and doors remain shut.
The prime minister has pledged that the fire service will have “all the support” it needs to deal with the blaze.
Speaking to reporters, Andy Burnham said: “We’ve got the situation under close monitoring, and I’m receiving regular updates.
“It is a very serious incident. I will make sure that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service have all of the support, the mutual aid, the other services that they need, and any other resources that need to be brought to bear.”
Thérèse Coffey, the former Tory MP for the area, said it was “sad news” and expressed hope that the blaze did not spread to the RSPB Minsmere nature reserve.
The Suffolk blaze is one of several major wildfires being tackled across the UK. Eight wildfires are currently burning and “being monitored” in other parts of Britain, with fire chiefs warning that there remains an “elevated risk” of more igniting.
It comes as the UK experiences its second drought in two years as very low rainfall and high temperatures take a toll on the environment, affecting 28 million people.
The Environment Agency warned that swathes of England are suffering from “flash drought”, including East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex – covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
The UK Health Security Agency said England is on track this year for the highest number of deaths caused by heatwaves since figures began, with the record-breaking heatwaves of May and June leading to 2,877 deaths. That is almost double the 1,504 deaths linked to heatwaves in June to August last year.
In Scotland, crews said they were making “significant progress” tackling a wildfire in the Cairngorms that is still burning after two weeks.
A number of homes in the remote region were evacuated as plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, and vast swathes of trees, heather and grasslands have been left charred and blackened.
Speaking on Wednesday, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) deputy assistant chief officer Michael Humphreys said that fire crews are making progress in tackling the blaze.
However, he warned the risk of flare-ups remains high.
“It’s been an absolutely devastating fire for wildlife and for the local community who have come out in force to really support us, which we really do appreciate,” he said.
“To control this fire, what we’ve had to put in place is a significant number of fire breaks.”
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