Wildfires have surged to record-breaking levels across Wales in 2025, with fire services warning that the combination of a long, hot summer and ongoing drought conditions has driven a dramatic rise in incidents. According to figures reported by the BBC, the number of wildfires in north, mid, and west Wales has already surpassed the total for any year since 2020, and South Wales is experiencing its highest number of grassland fire incidents in five years—despite the fact that four months still remain in the year.
Station commander Carl Williams of the Mid and West Wales Fire Service (MAWWFRS) described the situation as a “massive spike” in wildfire activity, noting that his service has already dealt with 134 wildfire incidents in 2025 alone. Remarkably, more than half of these occurred in March, a month that typically signals the start of the fire season but rarely sees such intense activity. To put this in perspective, MAWWFRS’s previous five-year high was 111 incidents recorded in 2022—a figure that has now been eclipsed well before the year’s end.
The North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS) has also faced an unprecedented workload, responding to 63 wildfire incidents in the first eight months of 2025, outstripping the 54 incidents it handled in all of 2022. Meanwhile, the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS), which tracks its statistics differently, has tackled 1,429 grassland fires so far this year, already exceeding the 1,418 callouts recorded in 2022.
When all grassland, woodland, crop, and wildfire blazes are combined, Wales’s three main fire services have responded to 2,918 incidents by the end of August. This figure is well ahead of the 2,708 incidents recorded at the same point in 2022, putting the country on track for its busiest fire year of the decade. The relentless pace has stretched resources and prompted renewed calls for public vigilance and cooperation.
The spike in wildfires comes amid extraordinary weather conditions. Earlier in August, Wales recorded its hottest August bank holiday on record, with a village in Flintshire officially recognized as the UK’s warmest spot. This year has also seen Wales experience its fourth heatwave, a clear sign that the climate is shifting. Drought was declared in both north and southeast Wales after the region endured its driest six-month period in almost 50 years, compounding the fire risk and leaving vegetation dangerously parched.
Station commander Williams explained that the fire service has had to deploy its all-terrain vehicles more than ever before to access remote blazes, a direct result of the hotter, drier summer. “This year it was forecasted that it would be a hotter, drier summer, so you’ve got that risk,” Williams told the BBC. He emphasized that unmanaged land can quickly turn a small fire into a major incident: “Sometimes it’s to do with unmanaged land—if they’re not managed and a fire has caught, then that can cause more severe wildfires.”
In response to these challenges, fire services have stepped up their efforts to work with farmers and landowners, offering guidance on safe land management and controlled burning. Williams noted, “The fire service had helped farmers burn their land, worked with landowners to improve access to remote areas and educated young people on fire risks.” He also stressed the importance of public awareness, especially regarding the use of disposable barbecues: “It’s about understanding that if you’ve got yourselves a disposable barbecue make sure that you’re putting down slabs, so that it doesn’t burn down to the grass and catch fire.”
Despite these efforts, Williams acknowledged that climate change is likely to make wildfires more frequent and intense in the years ahead. “Climate change meant it was ‘inevitable’ wildfires would become more frequent in the future,” he stated. He urged anyone feeling at risk to contact the fire service for help in reducing or mitigating fire hazards, adding, “It’s about that partnership approach where we can work together.”
Williams also highlighted the value of proactive support over emergency response: “It was more resourceful to have one officer help a farmer burn some land safely, than 10 fire trucks turning up ‘because you’d lost control.’” This approach, he argued, not only saves resources but also prevents minor incidents from escalating into major emergencies.
Analysis from BBC meteorologists Derek Brockway and Sabrina Lee supports the fire services’ concerns, noting that hot spells are to be expected over the summer but that the overall trend is unmistakable. “There is the potential for Wales to have its hottest summer on record,” they observed, pointing out that the highest temperature recorded in Wales so far this year is a sweltering 33.1°C. While last summer (2024) was the coolest since 2015, the general trajectory is clear: “Temperatures are rising with our summers becoming hotter and drier, with more frequent and intense heatwaves in the future due to climate change.”
Indeed, the pattern is becoming hard to ignore. Wales has now experienced four heatwaves in 2025 alone, and the declaration of drought in two key regions underscores the severity of the situation. The fire services’ struggle to keep pace with the growing number of incidents is a stark reminder of the challenges posed by a warming climate. As Williams reflected, “If people feel at risk, I would urge them to contact the fire service and we can help with trying to reduce or mitigate those.”
Despite the dire statistics, there are glimmers of hope in the collaborative efforts between fire services, landowners, and the public. Education campaigns targeting young people, practical support for farmers, and improved access to remote areas have all played a role in managing the crisis. But as the summer of 2025 draws to a close, it’s clear that Wales—and much of the UK—must brace for a future where wildfires are not just a seasonal threat but a persistent and growing challenge.
The figures tell a compelling story: 2,918 fire incidents by the end of August, new temperature records, and a landscape transformed by heat and drought. As Wales faces what could be its busiest wildfire year in recent memory, the call for community action and climate adaptation has never been more urgent. For now, firefighters remain on high alert, hoping that the lessons learned this summer will help shape a safer, more resilient response in the years to come.
