How scorching temperatures increase risk of ‘extreme wildfires’ in England’s forests

• Guardians of England 's largest forests face severe challenges from " Mediterranean -style fire weather" if blazes erupt, a senior adviser to the Forestry Commission has warned.
• Speaking to the the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Rob Gazzard spoke of the “extreme wildfire scenarios” experienced in 2022, describing the conditions as “Mediterranean weather – the same fire weather as Spain and Portugal, which we’re going to be experiencing this week.”
• He added: “And those extreme scenarios are going to be very challenging to us. In essence, it might challenge our capabilities and our capacity.”
• Over 800 wildfires were recorded on on 12 July 2022 when temperatures hit 40.3C, with the London Fire Brigade alone responding to 106 incidents.
• The National Fire Chiefs Council chairman, Phil Garrigan, suggested a “rating system for fire risk” to restrict activities in wildfire-prone places like disposable barbecues, or in extreme cases, “restrictions around movement of people”.

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‘Mediterranean-style fire weather’ threatens England’s forests amid extreme heat warning