Emergency Alert Sent to Phones as Wildfires Spread
The government sent an emergency alert to phones across England and Wales warning of extreme wildfire risk, as the military was deployed to help tackle blazes during the heatwave. At least 19 homes were reported destroyed and residents in parts of south Wales, including Llandovery, were forced to evacuate. A temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues has come into force.
Using the national emergency-alert system — normally reserved for the gravest threats — marks a dramatic escalation and casts the summer’s fires as a national emergency, with satellites detecting hundreds of blazes across a parched country. Deploying troops reflects how thinly firefighters are stretched after weeks of drought, and the evacuations in Wales show the human cost as flames reach homes. The barbecue ban answers long-standing calls from fire chiefs, who blame the cheap, throwaway grills for sparking fires on tinder-dry ground. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has framed Britain as a “tinderbox” and promised further action, including support for drought-hit farmers. Critics will ask whether the response came fast enough in a record fire season. Watch how far the fires spread and when the heat finally breaks.