Suffolk Wildfire Rages On: Crews Continue Third Day of Battle Amid Severe UK Drought Conditions

A massive inferno tearing through Sizewell in Suffolk has expanded dramatically, covering an area as vast as 210 football fields within mere hours, according to local authorities.

In a desperate bid to shield homes from the relentless flames, fire crews have started positioning their engines defensively in front of residences, dousing them with water.

The advancing wildfire, moving steadily southeast, has forced the evacuation of many vacationers. Despite the chaos, firefighters have assured that there is currently no threat posed to the nearby nuclear facility.

According to the latest reports from the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, the fire-engulfed area now stretches over 150 hectares, an expanse equal to around 210 soccer fields.

In response, fire engines dispatched from London have arrived, and helicopters are deploying seawater from above to tame the blaze as over 100 firefighters engage in the intense battle against the fire.

Just hours ago, it was reported that the affected area was around 100 hectares. The local fire service has said major incident response can be expected for another 48 hours at least. 

The fire broke out near the National Trust’s Coastguard Cottages on Dunwich Heath, on the Suffolk coast at around 5.30pm yesterday, and is said to be ‘spreading rapidly’.

This morning, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze covered around 24 acres, but by midday this had increased to the size of 140 football pitches, or 247.1 acres. 

Britain is on high alert for ‘exceptionally severe’ wildfires after more than 200 were recorded in the past two weeks and half of England was placed into drought. 

Fires have also been raging in east London – where around 30 acres of grassland were destroyed in a blaze in Romford yesterday, and a further ten acres were damaged in Rainham. 

The wildfires raging across Britain, including in Suffolk, come as: 

• Hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated from caravans along the Suffolk 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.
• Temperatures reached a peak of 35.2C in Writtle, Essex on Wednesday – the hottest of this week’s heatwave so far.
• Firefighters have tackled blazes on parched crop fields in east London and Essex.
• Half of England and the entirety of Wales is now officially in drought. The areas affected in England 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.

Watch LIVE:

On Thursday afternoon, London Fire Brigade reported a second wildfire had broken out in Rainham, while a grass fire in Hornchurch burned across 15 acres. The fire is now under control, and its cause is currently under investigation.

A third wildfire in 24 hours was reported in Rainham near Berwick Pond Road, at around 3.25pm. It is not believed the three are linked; however, their causes are not yet known.

At a briefing on the Suffolk fire this afternoon, chief officer Jon Lacey said the Sizewell B and Sizewell C nuclear power stations were not considered to be at risk, but declined to comment further.

‘The fire has grown in size slightly, but it’s changed direction,’ he said. ‘We’re monitoring the situation and making sure we position our resources to make sure we know where it’s going to go.’

Mr Lacey described the fire as ‘unprecedented’, adding that it was  ‘one of the largest he could remember ‘in the history of Suffolk’. He said because the inferno was ‘so widespread’, it made handling it more difficult.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to give Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service ‘all of the support’ it needs to deal with the ‘very serious’ wildfire in the county. 

Some 120 firefighters and 18 fire engines were deployed to tackle the inferno and a major incident has been declared, with EDF, which runs Sizewell B, confirming it is ‘closely monitoring’ the situation.

Earlier, a firefighting helicopter was seen arriving in the area, and firefighters are also turning to specialist equipment including drones and quad bikes to navigate the difficult terrain.

‘I’ve been to some significant incidents, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a fire that I’ve had to deal with that has had 125 firefighters on the scene. It is very unusual,’ Mr Lacey told the BBC.

In their latest update, the fire service said  ‘changing wind conditions continue to affect the direction and behaviour of the fire, making it difficult to predict how it may spread.’

It added that firefighters are continuing to work and are being supported by neighbouring services, and that the force has asked for additional national support, including wildfire specialist appliances, officers and tactical advisers.

‘Around 50 people have received support through the rest centre, which remains open,’ Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said. ‘We expect the response to continue for at least the next 48 hours.

‘While some rain is possible overnight, several more dry days are forecast.’ 

Meanwhile, Freddie Gulliver, from the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit, told residents in a meeting at Westleton Village Hall this evening that fire engines are being brought from London to tackle the wildfire.

Mr Gulliver said: ‘They (Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service) are making good progress and tactics are working.

‘They are getting extra engines from London as well, so that’s the national support that they ask for as well to bring into the area.

‘There will still be no access to campsites or properties that have been evacuated, evacuated for tonight, in this evening.’

He added that the fire service is ‘confident’ it is tackling the fire, including by filling trenches with water and dropping water from helicopters.

Mr Gulliver added: ‘Good progress is being made. That said, anything can still happen until the fire is out completely.’

Earlier this afternoon, officials said: ‘Eighteen fire engines and 120 firefighters are involved in the response, but difficult terrain and limited access routes are making it hard for crews to reach some areas of the wildfire.

‘The fire remains fast moving, and crews are working hard to contain it and protect surrounding areas.’

Power cuts have been reported in three postcodes in Suffolk, affecting 116 customers. UK Power Networks is working to fix the issue. 

It comes as a change in the wind caused homeowners to be evacuated this morning, after 200 caravans at a holiday park on the coast were emptied overnight. 

Around 76 people, including families with babies and dogs, are currently taking shelter at Westleton Village Hall – many after being rushed out of their homes at 11.30pm. Between 100 and 150 people, in total, have been evacuated.

Holidaymaker Justin North said there was a ‘kind of blitz spirit’ among the people evacuated. He said they were just ‘happy to be safe and out’.

Stephen Bullock and his partner Christine Miller told how they were staying at Dunwich Cliffs Estate caravan park, having travelled from Canvey Island in Essex for a three or four day stay.

He became aware of smoke drifting across fields ‘quite a way away’ at 5pm, which persisted for a few hours, then died down, so they watched a bit of TV and went to bed.

However, at 11pm there was ‘frantic banging’ on the caravan door as the park warden was evacuating visitors, flashlight in hand.

He said: ‘It was pitch black. There were toxic fumes. You could not see your hand in front of your face.

‘The fumes were horrific because it was quite a big fire by then and we were getting all of the smoke.

‘We got in the car and put the headlights on, but it was thick black smoke everywhere. There were police and ambulance crews everywhere.’

Meanwhile, Lisa Gordon, 54, currently on holiday with her husband and dog in their touring caravan, said it was ‘worrying’ how close the wildfire is to the Cliff House Holiday Park in Dunwich, where they are staying.

Mrs Gordon, who was evacuated from the park on Wednesday evening, said: ‘Just looking at the pictures… it’s quite worrying how close it is to the park now.’

She said that when she and her husband were told to leave the holiday park, they could see smoke behind the trees.

Mrs Gordon added: ‘It was only as we walked to reception to meet the police, that all of a sudden, it kind of hit us.

‘So where we were, it didn’t seem too bad at all. We weren’t really panicking at all.

‘But as we got to sort of the reception and the entrance, then the smoke hits, and we had to drive with the police through quite a lot of smoke.’

Another wind change is expected later, meaning winds will blow in a more north-westerly direction, forecasters have said. This will keep smoke away from Sizewell and instead blow flames towards the sea. 

People have been urged to avoid the area and to keep their windows and doors closed due to smoke. 

Alex Tarry said he heard explosions and saw bushes and trees ‘bursting into flames’ as he jogged along the coast near Sizewell at around 4.30am this morning. 

He told the Daily Mail: ‘I could see a huge wall of smoke and I was running in that direction. I know the site, it is a well-loved local place that is owned by the National Trust.

‘Behind there was a huge fire that was heading in the direction of the cottages. It was a biblical, apocalyptic scene. 

‘I called 999, and until 10 o’clock there was no one there. It was only me.’ 

Mr Tarry explained he helped put out a fire that had started to take hold of a wooden building belonging to the National Trust. 

He said: ‘There was a wooden building which schools would use for day trips. I saw outside there was a dog bowl which could be filled with water so I thought I could fight the fire. 

‘I spent around an hour and a half bringing water to put the fire out.’

Speaking near the site, RSPB Suffolk area manager Adam Rowlands said the scale of the blaze was ‘unprecedented in living memory’ and the damage was ‘quite devastating’.

He said: ‘It’s been tinder dry so with the drought conditions, all the vegetation, the ground is extremely dry and so once this fire took off, it spread dramatically and quickly.

‘It’s spreading through the pine trees so in places that’s 20 metres high.’

Mr Rowlands said the affected land, some of which is managed by the National Trust and the RSPB, was home to rare wildlife including nightjars and it would take ‘more than a decade’ for the habitat to recover.

He added: ‘It’s been years of effort to get the habitats in such good condition.

‘You know, the record numbers of nightjars and Dartford warblers and nightingales breeding on the site this summer – so years of hard work to get those bird populations to really evolve, and then absolutely devastated and wiped out by this one event, so it’s really heartbreaking for the team and all the effort they do.’

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said there is currently no risk to the nearby 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.’

But it later added that firefighting operations were being ‘strengthened’ due to changing winds that are expected to become ‘variable’ – prompting further evacuations of homes thought to be at risk. 

At Sizewell C to the north, which is currently under construction, officials have said there is currently a ‘low risk’ from the fire. 

An EDF spokesman said at lunchtime that the wildfire is currently ‘not affecting operations at Sizewell B power station’.

The energy supplier said it is ‘closely monitoring the situation’ as crews continued to battle a fire at Dunwich Heath on Thursday.

It is understood Sizewell B has an emergency plan in place that covers a range of scenarios including a fire on site.

Suffolk had just 2 per cent of its average rainfall for July, the Met Office said, while other counties have recorded figures as low as one or zero per cent for the same month.

The rainfall recorded for Suffolk this summer currently stands at only 36 per cent of what is its usual downpour. 

‘Some showers, possibly heavy, are possible this evening and into the early hours of Friday,’ a Met Office spokesman added. ‘Further showers are likely next week, possibly thundery.’

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters: ‘We’ve got the situation under close monitoring, and I’m receiving regular updates.

‘It is a very serious incident. I will make sure that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service have all of the support, the mutual aid, the other services that they need, and any other resources that need to be brought to bear.’ 

Meanwhile, Michael Hadwen, the leader of Suffolk County Council, said incidents like the wildfire ‘show Suffolk at its best’.

‘The main evacuees have been holidaymakers, so there’s that added distress that, you know, they’re away from home, they can’t access their cars,’ he said.

‘I can imagine, especially for people with young children (or) older relatives, it is a very distressing situation, but hopefully they have seen what this community can do for them to get them involved.’

‘Communities like Westleton have opened their homes to evacuees. We’re seeing supermarkets donating food. We’ve even got societies donating money, and people have really rallied.’

Leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski called on the PM to call an emergency Cobra meeting to deal with wildfires.  

Elsewhere, Angela Rayner paid tribute to firefighters tackling a major wildfire in Suffolk, posting a video to social media.

The Communities Secretary said: ‘I want to pay tribute to the brave firefighters that are tackling the wildfire in Suffolk. Thank you.

‘Your skill and dedication and bravery is outstanding,’ she added. ‘My thoughts are also with the residents that have had to leave their homes. I know it’s incredibly difficult circumstances.

‘The Prime Minister has made clear that the whole of Government will ensure that the fire and rescue services mutual aid and local services have all the resources they need.’

Blazes have similarly swept across parched landscapes 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. 

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 also continues 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.’

The Welsh government declared a drought across the entire country on Friday, meaning it now has the same status as half of England. 

Wales has received just 8 per cent of its average rainfall for the month of July, meaning it is on course to become the driest July since Welsh records began 190 years ago. 

The areas in drought in England 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).

It comes as the 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 (118F).

The fires in London and Suffolk come after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber heat-health alert for large swathes of the country. 

The alert remained 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 UKHSA 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.’

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.

Several 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.’