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Scientists comment on a large grass fire that has spread to houses in Stourbridge.
Dr Thomas Smith, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said:
“It is still highly unusual for a wildfire to spread to and destroy homes in the UK. As far as I am aware, the first such incidents occurred during the record-breaking July 2022 heatwave – on what was then the hottest day ever recorded in the UK – when wildfires destroyed properties in Wennington and Dagenham (Greater London) and Ashill (Norfolk).
“To see wildfires once again destroying people’s homes is a deeply concerning sign that we are experiencing more extreme fire behaviour than we have historically. The combination of exceptional heat and prolonged dry conditions is creating fires that spread faster, burn more intensely and increasingly threaten communities. The scientific evidence is clear that these extreme heat conditions are being made more likely and more severe by human-caused climate change.
“It would be far too early to speculate on the cause of this fire. A thorough investigation will be needed before any conclusions can be drawn. In the UK, however, the vast majority of wildfires are started by human activity – either accidentally or deliberately. During periods of extreme fire weather, it only takes a single ignition source in dry vegetation for a fire to spread rapidly.
“Residents may have been advised to wet wooden fences as a way of reducing the likelihood of a wildfire spreading to their property. Dry wooden fences are highly flammable, particularly if they have been treated with varnish or paint. Wetting fences and other combustible materials increases their moisture content, meaning the fire must first expend energy evaporating that water before the fuel can ignite. While this is not a guarantee that a property will be protected, it can slow the spread of fire and reduce the chance of ignition from flames or embers.
“Wildfires also require very different firefighting tactics from house fires. A fast-moving grass or vegetation fire is often tackled using defensive strategies, such as creating firelines to remove vegetation in the fire’s path, or using specialist wildfire equipment to suppress the advancing fire front. Lower-intensity grass fires may be controlled using tools such as fire beaters. These incidents also require different training and lighter personal protective equipment (PPE), allowing firefighters to work safely over rough terrain and in hot conditions.
“By contrast, house fires are fought using more conventional structural firefighting equipment, including breathing apparatus, heavier protective clothing and water delivered through high-pressure hose systems. As wildfires increasingly threaten homes at the rural-urban interface, Fire and Rescue Services must be prepared to respond to both types of fire simultaneously, often requiring different tactics, equipment and specialist skills.”
Prof Stefan Doerr, Director Centre for Wildfire Research, Swansea University; and Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Wildland Fire, said:
“Grasses are the vegetation type in the UK that is most easily to ignite and through which fire can propagate most rapidly.
“Wetting of the wooden fences reduces the risk of these igniting when a grass fire ‘travels’ close to the fence. The water provides evaporative cooling.
“Grass fires are relatively easy to put out compared to building, forest or shrub fires, but their relatively rapid spread can provide a challenge.”
Dr Rory Hadden, Rushbrook Senior Lecturer in Fire Investigation, University of Edinburgh, said:
“It is very early in this news story but with that in mind there are some general, quick comments below.
“Globally it is very common for wildfires to spread to houses and communities. These disasters change a wildfire into an urban conflagration – unfortunately we see these regularly in many parts of the world. These urban conflagrations are extremely destructive and place huge pressure on fire services. In the UK we have seen houses being impacted by wildfires before perhaps most notably in Wennington during the 2022 heatwave. Unfortunately this is a hazard that seems to be becoming more common.
“Wildfires (or fires burning in vegetation) can easily ignite houses by direct flame contact and by firebrands. Direct flame contact can arise when there is a pathway of combustible material from vegetation outside a property to the house. This could be wooden fences, or ornamental vegetation. This provides a pathway for a fire burning in vegetation to spread to properties. Once a fire reaches a house, it can ignite combustible materials such as plastic drainpipes and window frames. This provides a pathway for the fire to enter the house.
“Fortunately, it is easy to protect a house against this pathway of ignition. If you live in an area where there is dry vegetation near your property (e.g. near a field or moor or scrubland), then removing combustible material such as fences and dry vegetation from your garden to create a fuel break can be very effective. Also keeping ornamental vegetation away from the house is also a good idea. The idea is to minimise the amount of material that can burn near to a house. There are guidelines on this (e.g. Firewise).
“Wetting a fence is a good short term solution to make the material harder to ignite – especially if it is wood. But the effect is unlikely to last more than a short time.
“Fires in structures and outdoor or wildfires are very different. They require different fire fighting techniques. The challenge with a wildfire is that it moves across a landscape relatively quickly. The fire and rescue service are very well trained to extinguish structure fires but this becomes more challenging as their resources are stretched responding to wildfires. The UK is developing increasing capability in fighting wildfires. However, as with considering fire safety in homes, preparation, planning and preparedness is key. We need to be thinking how we manage landscapes to make them resilient to wildfires under future climate and land use.
“As a country, with the projections for climate change we will see more wildfires and so we need to be prepared for these. It seems that the situation is changing faster and faster.”
Declared interests
Dr Thomas Smith: “I have no conflicts of interest.”
Dr Rory Hadden: “Current and recent funding:
US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
US Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA)
UKRI EPSRC
Defence and Security Accelerator
US Department of Defence, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Fund
Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government
Forestry Commission
Natural England.”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.