A huge wildfire raging across a heathland in Suffolk is still not under control, the council has warned – as more homeowners are evacuated and neighbours report hearing explosions.
The ‘large-scale, wind-driven’ blaze broke out on Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast at around 5.30pm yesterday and has now spread to an area the size of 14 football pitches.
Around 90 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blaze, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service describing the situation as ‘dynamic’.
A change in the wind direction prompted more homeowners to be evacuated this morning – after 200 caravans at a holiday park on the coast were emptied overnight.
Around 48 people, including families with babies and dogs, are currently taking shelter at Westleton Village Hall after being rushed out of their homes at 11.30pm last night.
Holidaymaker Justin North said there was a ‘kind of blitz spirit’ among the people evacuated who were just ‘happy to be safe and out’.
Meanwhile, around 120 firefighters tackled two large grass fires in east London yesterday. Around 30 acres of grassland were destroyed in a blaze in Romford, while ten acres were also damaged by flames in Rainham.
Britain is on high alert for ‘exceptionally severe’ wildfires after more than 200 were recorded in the past two weeks and half of the England has been placed into drought.
Blazes have swept across parched landscapes including in Nethy Bridge in the Scottish Highlands and Blaenavon in South Wales. Crop fields in Essex and the area around Dovestone Reservoir near Oldham have also gone up in flames.
The wildfires raging across Britain, including in Suffolk, London, and Oldham, come as:
- Hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated from caravans along the Sussex coast as firefighters struggle to contain the blaze on Dunwich Heath.
- Suffolk Fire and Rescue service said there was no risk to Sizewell B nuclear power station from the wildfire, despite it spreading in the direction of the site.
- Firefighters have tackled blazes on parched crop fields in east London and Essex.
- Half of England has been officially placed in drought. The areas affected are: London and Hertfordshire, the Thames Valley, East Anglia, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire).
- Farming leaders are warning they face ‘the worst harvest in years’ due to successive heatwaves and are calling for more Government support.
- The UK is on track this year for the highest number of deaths caused by heatwaves since current figures began.
Aerial photo shows a fire ravaging an area the size of 14 football pitches in Suffolk
Firefighters are tackling the blaze and expect to be at the scene for the next 24 to 48 hours
Flames from the wildfire near Liston, Suffolk are seen from above overnight
Britain is on high alert for ‘exceptionally severe’ wildfires after more than 200 were recorded in the past two weeks. Pictured: The fire in Suffolk
The wildfire is spreading in the direction of Sizewell B nuclear power station, but is not thought to be a threat to the site
Firefighters are tackling the blaze at Dunwich in Suffolk, which has been described as a ‘dynamic situation’
Fire crews are seen battling a fire in Romford, east London, yesterday where around 30 acres of grassland were destroyed
The seven areas declared to be in drought are London and Hertfordshire, the Thames Valley, East Anglia, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire).
A 50-year drought record from the long, hot summer of 1976 is now on the brink of being beaten.
Amid the rising temperatures, supermarkets have resorted to rolling out Mediterranean-style fridges – with Waitrose buying up new equipment that can withstand outdoor temperatures of up to 48C.
In Suffolk, people have been urged to avoid the area and to keep their windows and doors closed due to the smoke.
Alex Tarry told BBC Radio Suffolk’s Johnnie Wright how he heard explosions and saw bushes and trees ‘bursting into flames’ as he jogged along the coast near Sizewell at around 5am.
‘I ran up there. There was a fire front that could have been half-a-mile long, about 150m away from me,’ said Mr Tarry, who spotted the plumes of smoke behind the Coastguard Cottages at Dunwich Heath.
‘The cottages were completely deserted but [the fire was] moving toward [them].’
He added: ‘It’s very sad, a huge amount of heath is being affected.
‘It’s just absolutely shock. It’s coming closer and closer… I’ve known [Dunwich Heath] all my life and the wildlife, the history, the habitats has just been consumed.
‘It was noisy with explosions, and bushes and trees were bursting into flames.
‘There was just a feeling of there’s nothing you can do and feeling utterly, utterly helpless… it’s shocking.’
Suffolk Fire and Rescue has declared the blaze a major incident ‘due to the size and complexity’
Fire crews tackle a blaze in London yesterday after temperatures reached 34C
Suffolk Fire and Rescue has declared the blaze a major incident ‘due to the size and complexity’
The blaze on Dunwich Heath, which began at around 5.30pm yesterday, is spreading rapidly in the direction of Sizewell B nuclear power station, which is about 2.5 miles away
A wildfire rages in Stow Maries, near South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, yesterday
A view of the UK taken on July 29 by satellite by Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation programme. It shows more brown and dry condition across the land
The fire began on heathland near the Coastguard Cottages, which are National Trust properties on the Suffolk coastline and is now spreading in the direction of Sizewell B nuclear power station, about 2.5 miles away.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue service said there is currently no risk to the nuclear power station from the wildfire.
In a statement on Thursday morning, the service said: ‘At this time there is no current risk to Sizewell B, due to the distance from the fire and the direction it is travelling (easterly).
‘However, this is a live and dynamic situation and as a result any further updates will be shared accordingly.’
Meanwhile, new restrictions have been put in place at Dovestone Reservoir as a wildfire continues to rage on the moorland.
The large wildfire, near Greenfield in Oldham, has been burning since Saturday, July 11.
It remains a major incident as Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) also continue to tackle a wildfire at Swineshaw.
Firefighters are continuing to tackle hotspots in ‘dry and challenging conditions’. Amid the major incident at the beauty spot, new restrictions have been put in place by Oldham Council.
All access to Dovestone Reservoir has now been closed to members of the public.
Temporary traffic restrictions are also in place with access only available to emergency services and residents.
In a post on social media on Wednesday evening, Oldham Council said: ‘Due to the ongoing major incident at Dovestone Reservoir, temporary traffic restrictions are now in place to help emergency services respond safely.
‘Access to Dovestone is closed to the public. Access is only permitted for emergency services and residents.
‘Please do not drive to the area or park on surrounding roads or in the car park, as this could block access for emergency vehicles and specialist machinery. Public rights of way in the affected area are also closed until 31 August.
‘Thank you for your patience and cooperation while emergency services continue their work.’
Stonehenge in Wiltshire is surrounded by scorched fields after prolonged heat waves in the UK
Blackened hillsides show the devastating aftermath of the wildfire surrounding Blaenavon, Torfaen in Wales
Grass in Blackheath, south-east London, has turned entirely brown
People gather on the brown grass at the very dry Primrose Hill as heatwaves continue
Stonehenge in Wiltshire is surrounded by scorched fields after prolonged heat waves in the UK
The fires in London and Suffolk come after the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber heat-health alert for large swathes of the country.
The alert remains in place until 9am on Thursday, with the agency previously warning that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Analysis suggests the UK is on track for the highest number of deaths caused by heatwaves since current figures began.
The UK Health Security Agency said it ‘is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record’, surpassing the number in 2022 when the agency started studying them.
An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the heatwave that ran from May 24-27, with a further 2,124 deaths linked to the heatwave between June 21 and 28.
The total of 2,877 deaths is almost double the 1,504 across the UK heatwaves in June to August last year.
The increased heat has led to fears and warnings that wildfires could ‘spread rapidly’ with southern and eastern parts of England’s already bone-dry landscapes particularly at risk.
Helen Wakeham, director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the National Drought Group, said: ‘The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.
‘A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and the economy.’
Empty deckchairs on dry grass at Green Park in London
Weeks of minimal rain and the second hottest month on record in the UK has left the fields severely parched
The Met Office assessment showed any fires could be ‘exceptionally severe’ by Wednesday if they start in parts of London, the South East and eastern England.
Fire services in England and Wales have so far responded to 706 wildfires in 2026, with more than 200 recorded in the last two weeks, the National Fire Chiefs Council said.
Eight wildfires are currently burning and ‘being monitored’ across the UK, with fire chiefs warning that there remains an ‘elevated risk’ of more igniting.
Separately, in Scotland, crews said they were making ‘significant progress’ tackling a wildfire in the Cairngorms that broke out two weeks ago.
A number of homes in the remote region were evacuated as plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, and vast swathes of trees, heather and grasslands have been left charred and blackened.
Speaking on the track on Wednesday, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deputy assistant chief officer Michael Humphreys told the Press Association that fire crews are making progress in tackling the blaze.
However, he warned the risk of flare-ups remains high.
‘It’s been an absolutely devastating fire for wildlife and for the local community who have come out in force to really support us, which we really do appreciate,’ he said.
‘To control this fire, what we’ve had to put in place is a significant number of fire breaks.’
