Summer heatwave fuels massive rise in wildfires in 2022 in scorching Shropshire
The number of wildfires across Shropshire was the highest in years this summer as the heatwave saw blazes break out across the county.
From rubbish involved in bonfires to blazes sparked by harvesting machinery and steam locomotives, there were 118 fires in the open in July and August - three times as many as the year before and more than five times as many as the year before that.
The increase was felt across the whole of England with fire chiefs saying the figures showed how staff were "increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes".
They praised the dedication and bravery of officers in tackling unprecedented conditions.
At least 24,316 wildfires were recorded by fire services in England from June to August, according to data obtained by the PA news agency through freedom of information requests.
This is almost four times the 6,213 wildfires in the equivalent period in 2021, and around two and a half times the 9,369 for June to August 2020.
In Shropshire the biggest increases came in July, with 53 "wildfires", and August when there were 65.
This compared to 23 in July and 14 in August 2021 and just eight in July and 14 in August 2020.
Some forces tackled more than 50 wildfires a day at the peak of the heatwaves, which also saw droughts declared in many areas and temperatures reach a record-breaking 40C.
More than 800 wildfires were recorded on July 19, the day temperatures rose above 40C in the UK for the first time to peak at 40.3C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
There were further spikes in wildfires in August, with more than 600 recorded each day from August 11 to 14 as temperatures reached the mid-30s.
Overall there were more than 10,000 wildfire incidents across England in both July and August.
A sequence of heatwaves led to England experiencing the driest July since 1935 and the joint warmest summer on record.
One of the most devastating fires hit Wennington in east London on July 19, which destroyed two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, outbuildings, garages, stables and cars and affected 40 hectares of grassland.
The run of heatwaves, along with above-average temperatures in every month except December, means 2022 will be the UK's warmest year on record, the Met Office said earlier this week.
"The grass fires are an example of how we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes. We must adapt to this change and are constantly looking at developing our equipment and procedures to meet all the new challenges that we face."
The figures cover all outdoor fires recorded in the category of grassland, woodland and crops.
They include fires on heathland and moorland; in fields, hedgerows and allotments; and by the side of roads, rivers and railways.
