Wildfires could prevent North Wales firefighters reaching serious incidents

Summarised from North Wales Live's report · Updated 5 Nov, 10:35 · Archive

North Wales's fire service warns that summer wildfires could prevent crews attending serious blazes and crashes.

The chief fire officer of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has warned that major incidents could go unattended if the region continues to experience summer wildfires. Last summer saw multiple severe blazes including a huge fire on Conwy Mountain that forced residents in Capelulo to evacuate, and long-running fires in the Rhinogydd mountain range east of Harlech and around Bethesda.

These wildfires required numerous firefighting crews to attend over several days, alongside smaller hillside blazes that consumed additional resources. At one point over the summer, only seven fire appliances were left available to cover the entire North Wales region, an area of over 2,300 square miles. The Senedd's Climate Change, Environment, Sustainability and Rural Affairs Committee is holding an inquiry into wildfire resilience in Wales, with similar problems reported in mid and south Wales. Concerns have been raised that climate change could lead to more summers with prolonged hot and dry weather.

Read the report

• Surge in wildfires could stop firefighters attending serious blazes and crashesSummer of wildfire blazes put enormous pressure on the fire service in North WalesNorth Wales Live · 4 Nov, 16:30

In this story: North Wales Fire and Rescue Service · Dawn Docx · Conwy Mountain · Capelulo · Rhinogydd · Harlech · Bethesda · Wales

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