The UK government sent a national wildfire emergency alert to millions of mobile phones in England and Wales on August 14, and imposed a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues.
Several wildfires have already broken out in the United Kingdom after a summer of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius left the landscape extremely dry. DR reports that the extreme temperatures look set to continue through August, and that fire and rescue services asked the public to be careful with any use of fire outdoors.
The alert reached phones across England and Wales on Friday evening. According to ITV News, the message was sent on a rolling basis from around 7 p.m. and warned of a very high risk of wildfires nationally. The alert advised against any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators and fireworks.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged people to take the warning seriously and to avoid bonfires in gardens, in the countryside, in parks and in forests. Writing on X, he said the priority was to keep everyone safe and prevent further fires from starting, as reported by DR.
The government also announced an immediate temporary ban on the sale of single-use grills, saying they pose a significant risk to the public. BBC News reports that the ban covers England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland. Retailers were told to remove disposable barbecues from sale immediately, both in stores and online.
Product safety guidance from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade underpins the restriction. As cited by ITV News, the guidance states that under current drought and heatwave conditions, the supply and foreseeable use of disposable barbecues cannot be considered safe. The department concludes that the products should not be made available for supply at this time.
In its news release, the UK government said the alert and the ban form part of a stepped-up wildfire response that also includes emergency funding for fire and rescue services and military support. The restriction will remain in place while the heightened wildfire risk continues, and will be kept under review.
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Emergency services faced a wave of calls after the alert went out. Sky News reports that fire services asked people not to dial the emergency number every time they see someone using an open flame. Calls should be made only in genuine emergencies, to avoid overloading the response system.
The measures follow a COBRA emergency meeting earlier in the week. The Guardian reported on August 12 that Burnham had already called on retailers large and small to withdraw disposable barbecues, and said ministers would consider a temporary summer ban.
Burnham visited burned-out houses in the West Midlands earlier in the week. He said Britons cannot accept wildfires as the new normal, and that the country must fight climate change and become more resilient to extreme weather, per DR.
