top of page
Wildfires
Latest news, advice and opinion on wildfires in the UK.


Hot and Dry Conditions: New Guidance for MA Members on Temporary CROW Access Restrictions
New Moorland Association guidance for members on when and how to seek temporary restrictions on CROW access land during hot, dry wildfire conditions.

Andrew Gilruth
14 minutes ago2 min read


80% Destroyed, Five Years to Recover: What One Wildfire Took From the Moors
A single 2025 wildfire destroyed 80% of a managed moor and centuries of peat — evidence to Parliament on what wildfire costs nature, and why the fix is stalled.

Rob Beeson
2 days ago4 min read


Fuel, Fire and Peat: The Wildfire Question MPs Put to Ministers
MPs clashed over controlled burning and wildfire risk in the Commons on 13 July. What was said about moorland fuel loads, and where the real disagreement lies.

Rob Beeson
4 days ago4 min read


The 3% Solution to a 90% Problem
Burning is restricted to protect carbon — but peatland wildfires cause ~90% of the UK's fire emissions, while managed burns leave the peat unburned.

Rob Beeson
Jul 154 min read


When Official Tools Fail: Moorland Communities Step Up to Fight the 'Firewave'
Watch the dramatic nighttime video showing how estate staff and gamekeepers successfully stopped the Crowden wildfire when official prediction tools fell short.

Rob Beeson
Jul 132 min read


A Wildfire Burns the Fuel You Leave for It - What This Week's Moorland Blazes Have in Common
Wildfires on moorland burn what's available. A look at this summer's blazes — and why cutting and controlled burning must stay in the toolkit.

Rob Beeson
Jul 134 min read


A Quarter of Britain's Biggest Reed Bed Burned. Being Wet Didn't Save It
In 2020 fire destroyed a quarter of the UK's largest reed beds on the Tay. For land managers, it shows why wet ground alone won't stop a wildfire.

Rob Beeson
Jul 103 min read


NEER155: MA Asks EFRA Committee to Examine the Evidence Behind Natural England’s “Rigorous Peer Review” Claim
MA asks the EFRA Committee to examine whether Natural England can prove its NEER155 peatland burning evidence review underwent rigorous peer review.

Andrew Gilruth
Jul 94 min read


Parliament Is Now Asking the Right Questions: How Will Defra Manage Wildfire Risk If Practical Fuel Management Is Blocked?
The chairman of the EFRA Committee has written to Defra, asking how it is addressing concerns about managed burning licences and the evidence base behind the 2025 burning regulations.

Rob Beeson
Jul 91 min read


"It MUST Be Managed": A Fire Veteran's Warning to Parliament
Research shows managed burning and grazing cut wildfire severity by up to 70%. So why is Britain restricting it? What the moors told Parliament's fire inquiry.

Rob Beeson
Jul 94 min read


Rewetting Is Important. But on Its Own, It Won't Stop Moors from Burning
Rewetting protects peat carbon but leaves flammable heather and gorse intact. Effective wildfire prevention needs cutting, burning and firebreaks too.

Rob Beeson
Jul 76 min read


What the Fire Service Told Parliament: Unmanaged Moorland Burns Worse
Fire chiefs, crews and Yorkshire Water told Parliament's wildfire inquiry the same thing: unmanaged fuel load makes moorland fires far harder to contain.

Rob Beeson
Jul 64 min read
bottom of page
