Lives 'will be lost' unless UK does more to combat wildfires, committee chairwoman says

Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the UK's Climate Change Committee, has warned that lives will be lost unless more action is taken to combat the rising risk of wildfires. She attributed this to predictions of longer, drier summers due to global warming. Last year, one man died in a wildfire in Gloucestershire, while 19 homes were destroyed in Stourbridge, near Birmingham, and villagers were evacuated in the Cairngorms.

The government has invested nearly £100m to enhance national resilience capabilities, including training specialized firefighting teams.

The Independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) has been raising concerns about the UK's readiness for climate change since 2008. Baroness Brown lamented that despite these warnings, insufficient action has been taken, and she fears that lives will be lost. She emphasized the need for education, preparation, investing in specialist teams and equipment, as well as planning woodlands, creating fire breaks, and establishing early warning systems.

By 2050, the risk of wildfires could double across much of the UK, according to Baroness Brown. A couple, Uttam and Sandy Shiralkar, are still dealing with the loss of their home in Stourbridge, which was engulfed by a wildfire in August. Sandy, a surgeon, expressed deep concern over the complete destruction of their house, describing it as an experience no one should have to endure.

The couple now lives in temporary accommodation, and Uttam highlighted the emotional toll of losing their home, noting that coming back to normality will take a long time.

The number of firefighters has been declining, with over a fifth of firefighter and control room positions cut since 2010, leaving crews dangerously stretched during the summer. Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, emphasized the need for more firefighters, as over 12,000 jobs have been lost since 2010. Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, welcomed the £97m investment for six specialist firefighting teams but stressed the need for more funding to improve aerial firefighting capability and enhance specialist equipment.

He warned that without sufficient resources, the UK could face a recurrence of the situation experienced in 2026, with 50 or more homes lost and families devastated by wildfires.