Britain is heading towards its worst year for wildfires on record, after 112 fires in 15 weeks burnt an area bigger than Liverpool. In the past few days a fire caused huge plumes of smoke at moorland near Marsden in West Yorkshire, and it took firefighters days to bring it under control. Woodland in Shropshire caught fire at the weekend, and wildlife-rich heathland in Dorset was devastated earlier this month. Satellite data shows that 95 sq miles have burnt this year, already making it the second worst year on record for the area burnt and the number of fires. Only 2019 was worse for area burnt and 2022 for the number of fires, according to figures from the European Forest Fire Information System.

Source: The Times April 13, 2025 19:48 UTC