Wiltshire and Dorset fire crews face record-breaking year

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 2 Oct, 13:09 · Archive

Firefighters in Wiltshire and Dorset tackled 746 house fires in 2025-26 as incidents rose sharply.

Firefighters across Wiltshire and Dorset experienced one of their busiest years on record during 2025-26. The Salisbury Journal reports that crews responded to 746 house fires and 3,654 outdoor fires during this period.

House fires rose by 20 per cent compared with the previous year. The increase in incidents was driven by hot, dry weather conditions, which fuelled wildfires across the region. The combination of challenging environmental conditions and the volume of calls placed significant strain on firefighting services throughout Wiltshire and Dorset.

How it is being reported

• Wiltshire firefighters face one of the busiest years on recordGazette & Herald · 1 Oct, 05:00
• Wiltshire firefighters face one of the busiest years on recordSwindon Advertiser · 1 Oct, 05:00
• Wiltshire firefighters face one of the busiest years on recordWiltshire Times · 1 Oct, 05:00
• Wiltshire and Dorset crews face challenging year as house fires rise 20 per centSalisbury Journal · 30 Sept, 16:00

In this story: Wiltshire · Dorset

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem