First Minister calls for Wales wildfire summit as extreme heat grips country

Mark Mansfield

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has announced a wildfire summit for Wales and called for continued access to UK emergency resources as firefighters battle a series of major blazes across the country.

Mr ap Iorwerth raised the situation in Wales at an emergency COBR meeting on Wednesday, as South Wales Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident with crews stretched across seven separate wildfires.

The First Minister said he had sought assurances that mutual aid would continue to be prioritised for wildfire-hit areas if conditions worsen over the next 48 hours.

Following the meeting, he said: “I sought assurance from UK Government counterparts that National Resilience mutual aid arrangements will continue to prioritise support to wildfire-affected areas, particularly should conditions worsen over the next 48 hours.

“I also confirmed that I will convene a multi-agency summit in Wales to strengthen wildfire prevention and resilience, and will share the outcomes with partners across the UK.”

Mr ap Iorwerth also raised the possibility of greater specialist support being made available to tackle fires as Wales experiences exceptionally hot and dry conditions.

He said: “Continued Welsh involvement in UK-wide resilience planning is crucial as we learn lessons, including consideration of specialist capabilities such as helicopters and support from the Ministry of Defence and RAF where appropriate.”

The intervention came as firefighters tackled seven blazes across south Wales on Wednesday, with crews drafted in from neighbouring services to provide additional support.

A helicopter was also being used to assist firefighting operations.

Gareth Tovey, Fire Brigades Union executive council member for Wales, said firefighters on the ground had described the situation as “carnage”.

He said: “What our members out there, firefighters on the ground, are saying, is that the conditions in which they’re fighting these fires are materially different from what we’ve experienced before – it’s so much drier.

“We’re seeing fires progress into areas and expand in ways that we haven’t necessarily seen before.”

Crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service were brought in to help South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Tovey said: “They’re having to do that because we just don’t have enough resources to face what is in front of us right now.”

Some firefighters had been spending 10 or 11 hours tackling fires on mountainsides without proper breaks or access to toilets, he said.

“It’s tough out there at the moment,” Mr Tovey added.

Drought

The fires come with the whole of Wales in drought following an exceptionally hot and dry summer.

England and Wales experienced their driest July since records began in 1836, while firefighters across the two nations have responded to 966 wildfires so far this year.

There were 185 wildfires during the first 10 days of August alone, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, while July was the busiest month on record with 458 incidents.

The UK Government convened Wednesday’s COBR meeting as temperatures were forecast to climb further, potentially reaching 38C in parts of England on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning Siân Gwenllian spoke to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Fin Monahan about the major incident and passed on her thanks to firefighters and support staff.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “I also want to thank our emergency services, local authorities and all those working tirelessly to keep communities safe during this period of severe weather.

“These conditions require all of us to play our part and stay safe. I would urge everybody to please continue to follow any advice from the fire service and local authorities, and especially to avoid any activity that could risk further fires.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired the COBR meeting, which was also attended by ministers, officials and agencies involved in responding to the heat, drought and wildfires across the UK.

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