The Firefighters Union has warned that the UK is not “fully prepared” for the fire risk posed by the recent rise in temperatures, as the Met Office issued its highest warning under its severity rating of the fire
An “exceptional” fire risk red warning covers much of central south England this Sunday, when temperatures are expected to exceed 35C for the fourth consecutive day for the first time since 1976.
During last month’s record heat wave, dozens of homes were destroyed by dozens of fires.
Riccardo la Torre, national officer of the Firefighters Union, has warned that service cuts across the UK have left firefighters unable to cope with a repeat of these scenes.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “These are brutal, brutal fires to fight. The temperature at which they burn, the speed at which they spread.
“The reality is that we have left ourselves completely unprepared to do this as a fire and rescue service.
“We have had more than a fifth of the workforce since 2010, that is, more than 11,500 firefighters cut. However, we are asking them to deal with these extreme weather events with increasing regularity and increasing severity.”
La Torre warned that the lack of preparation put firefighters’ lives at risk.
“The professionals on the ground have been warning that these conditions are approaching and we have seen a lot of the reality in recent weeks.
“Firefighters have been injured, firefighters have ended up in the hospital, we’ve seen families lose their homes, we’ve seen businesses lost, infrastructure burned, because we just can’t get to these fires fast enough.
“When we do, we just don’t have the resources to deal with them properly.”
Mark Hardingham, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said the fire service was “well prepared” to respond to a high volume of calls.
But in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he warned that the prolonged hot and dry spell created an “unprecedented” risk of fires.
He said: “I can’t remember a summer like this and I’ve been in the fire service for 32 years.”
An amber warning from the Met Office came into effect on Thursday and will remain in place for the next four days. It covers many parts of southern and central England and part of Wales.
Meanwhile, the trade body representing water companies said a decision on the official drought declaration was imminent.
Stuart Colville, director of policy at Water UK, said it was looking “increasingly inevitable” that the Environment Agency would declare a drought in England.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he added that this would be the “right decision given some of the pressure on the environment that we’re seeing at the moment”.
Several water companies have imposed hose bans or are preparing to do so, and have been criticized for failing to prevent leaks.
Colville said companies had a “constant battle” to stop water leaks, but the industry was doing “everything possible” to do so.
He said: “Although we’re currently seeing the lowest level of leakage on record, it’s a constant battle because, especially in hot, dry conditions, what happens is that the soil dries out and cracks and moves, and that puts extra pressure on the pipes, and that can cause additional bursts.”