UK Warns Visitors To National Parks As "Catastrophic" Fire Risk Builds After Weeks Of Drought, Hot Weather
Britain’s national parks have warned of a “catastrophic” risk from wildfires this Easter after one of the driest early spring seasons on record. Park rangers from the South Downs to the Highlands said the prolonged warm weather and breezy conditions had left large areas extremely dry despite recent rain.
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A number of national parks have advised day-trippers about the dangers of lighting barbecues and dropping cigarettes after one of the worst fire seasons on record. Ben Jackson, who leads rangers in part of the North York Moors national park, said the recent climate had created the ideal conditions for a wildfire that “could be catastrophic for our wildlife and habitats, not to mention a serious danger to people”.
Swathes of the UK had one of the driest Marches in decades, and April temperatures have so far been warmer than average. The conditions have led to more than double the number of wildfires in England and Wales than in the same period in 2022, which went on to be a record year for moorland blazes, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
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Charities said weeks of wildfires had “decimated” whole ecosystems and put endangered species at risk. Vast areas of habitat for small mammals and birds – including butterflies, beetles and falcons – had been damaged, they said, adding that some peat bogs could take hundreds of years to recover.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/18/uk-national-parks-risk-wildfires-easter