Army deployed to fight wildfires as UK heatwave continues
The army has been deployed in South Wales to help fight wildfires as the UK endures a fifth heatwave, with drought conditions and pressure on services.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The UK is in the grip of a prolonged heatwave that has brought drought, wildfires and unprecedented strain on public services. In South Wales, the army has been called in to help fire crews battle blazes that have been burning for weeks. More than 200 soldiers, including Gurkhas, are digging firebreaks and supporting firefighters as 14 separate wildfires continue to rage across the region.
The deployment came as the Prime Minister chaired his first emergency Cobra meeting on the extreme heat. Andy Burnham urged retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues, which have been blamed for starting many of the fires. He stopped short of an outright ban but said the government would consider one for future summers.
Wildfires have swept across England and Wales, with more than 1,000 recorded so far this year, matching the record total for the whole of last year. In the New Forest, a fire has been burning since Sunday, covering an area the size of 230 football pitches. In Stourbridge, West Midlands, 19 homes were destroyed and dozens more damaged when flames ripped through the town on Thursday. Residents have begun returning to assess the damage, with many describing the speed and ferocity of the fires as terrifying.
The heatwave has also brought drought. Nearly three quarters of England and all of Wales are now officially in drought. A fresh hosepipe ban has been imposed on 1.4 million Wessex Water customers, bringing the total number of people affected by restrictions to more than 25 million. Rivers and reservoirs are at record lows, and farmers are reporting crop failures and machinery damage as the ground turns to concrete.
The economic cost is mounting. A green think tank estimates the heatwaves from May to the end of July could have cost the economy £4.4 billion in lost output. The Fire Brigades Union is calling for 5,000 more firefighters and better equipment, including water-bombing aircraft. The government has promised £100 million for new equipment and specialist crews, but critics say more needs to be done to adapt to a changing climate.
Temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius in parts of England this week, with an amber extreme heat warning in place. Rain is forecast for some areas, but fire chiefs warn the danger is not over. The army's help has been extended by 48 hours as crews continue to tackle the blazes. The long-term challenge of living with hotter, drier summers is now a pressing question for the UK.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A fire in the New Forest, started by a van, spread to protected heathland and led to the closure of the A31. | · | · | · | |||||
| Seven regions in England are in official drought conditions. | · | · | · | |||||
| The Prime Minister will chair his first emergency Cobra meeting on extreme heat. | · | · | · | |||||
| Drought conditions are affecting half of England and all of Wales. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded across England and Wales this year, exceeding last year's total. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Thames Water customers will face hosepipe restrictions from Thursday. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Yellow heat health alerts have been issued across the east of England, London, the south east and west, and the south and west Midlands. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| More than 20 homes were destroyed in Stourbridge. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| NFU president Tom Bradshaw warned of food shortages if drought continues. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Parts of England experienced a two-week dry spell, the longest unbroken period without rain since the mid-1990s. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| The Met Office issued a rare amber extreme heat warning for Thursday, with temperatures up to 38°C. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| The military were deployed to South Wales. | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the environmental and health impacts of the heatwave, including wildlife damage and heat health alerts. It highlighted the long-term ecological consequences of wildfires and the strain on health services.
- “food security is our national security.”
- “Today, yellow heat health alerts have been issued across the east of England, London, the south east and west and the south and west Midlands.”
- “It could impact wildlife for years to come.”
BBC ONE West emphasised the government response, including the Cobra meeting and the Prime Minister's plea on disposable barbecues. It also covered the army deployment and the scale of wildfires across the UK.
- “The Prime Minister has urged retailers to withdraw the sale of disposable barbecues in order to prevent more wildfires.”
- “More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales so far this year, the same as the record-breaking total for the whole of last year.”
- “The military arrived to help inundated fire crews.”
ITV1 provided detailed on-the-ground reporting, focusing on the human impact of the wildfires, including the Stourbridge fires and the deployment of Gurkhas. It also covered the Cobra meeting and the drought's effect on farmers and water supplies.
- “In parts of South Wales, Gurkha soldiers have been drafted in to help create firebreaks to get on top of the wildfires that have now been burning for several weeks.”
- “The prime minister today held his first Cobra meeting and has called on all retailers to pause sales of disposable barbecues to prevent wildfires.”
- “There have been a record-equalling 1,017 wildfires already this year.”
Sky News focused on the political and economic dimensions of the heatwave, including the Cobra meeting, the cost to the economy, and the Fire Brigades Union's demands. It also provided weather analysis and discussed the government's long-term preparedness.
- “The Prime Minister will chair his first emergency Cobra meeting in response to the extreme heat.”
- “According to the green think tank Verdant, excessive heatwaves from May to the end of July could have added an estimated cost to the economy of £4.4 billion.”
- “We know how challenging this summer is proving, particularly for firefighters tackling wildfires, farmers working in drought conditions and NHS staff in busy A&E units.”
5 News highlighted the scale of the army deployment, the economic costs of adaptation, and the political debate over North Sea oil drilling. It also covered the Stourbridge fires and the ongoing drought.
- “It says something about the scale of a problem when the army is drafted in, and more than 200 soldiers have been helping to stamp out fires that have been rampaging towards homes in Wales.”
- “The estimate of the costs that we think are needed to address the really key issues of drought, heat and flooding are about 11 billion pounds a year.”
- “Today marked the end of the public consultation on whether drilling should be allowed at the Rosebank oilfield off Shetland.”
GB News took a more opinionated and critical stance, questioning the effectiveness of the disposable barbecue ban and blaming rewilding for the fires. It also discussed the impact on nurses and the need for air conditioning, with a focus on individual responsibility and government overreach.
- “We have today confirmed that the framework restricting the retail sale of those disposable barbecues is being extended.”
- “According to the Daily Mail, rewilding is actually partly to blame for the fact that we've had record fires.”
- “The big announcement of our new Prime Minister to deal with the range of national crises that this country faces, is to extend the period in which disposable barbecues should not be sold by major retailers.”
Channel 4 focused on the systemic failure of UK infrastructure to cope with heatwaves, the deployment of Gurkhas, and the need for long-term climate resilience. It included expert analysis on the economic and environmental costs and the debate over fossil fuels.
- “The successive heatwaves have put Britain's infrastructure under increasing strain from hospital wards, which are too hot for staff and patients, to roads, which have been melting.”
- “Overnight in South Wales, the Ministry of Defence deployed 200 Gurkhas to help fight 14 new fires across the region.”
- “Heatwaves, made worse by fossil fuel pollution, are becoming more frequent, hotter, longer.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.