The UK needs to wake up to the growing threat of wildfires

‘This is one of these things that is going to catch us out unless we get prepared for it,’ leading British climate scientist tells Zoe Tidman

Firefighters tackle the blaze at Wareham Forest in May 2020 (Getty Images)

The climate crisis is often thought of in terms of flooding, heatwaves and eroding coastline in the UK. Wildfires, while famously destructive in Australia and the US, are not so common in Britain.

This will change, scientists are warning, as warmer temperatures bring the prospect of blazes closer to home.

That isn’t to say they do not already happen. Just this weekend, a large blaze broke out across a heathland in Dorset. And last month, a major incident was declared as a wildfire raged across Dartmoor National Park.