UK firefighters in Oxfordshire have issued a warning to Oxfordshire residents over using barbecues this week amid the prospect of wildfires.
With the county facing rising temperatures and increasingly parched ground, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is asking people to be extra careful in the countryside as the likelihood of fires spreading through fields and woodland increases.
Deb Forder, station manager for Home and Community Safety, said seemingly minor incidents can grow far beyond what people expect.
“A wildfire is a fire that is approximately 10,000 square metres. So if we were looking at that size, that would be around about one and a half standard football pitches,” Ms Forder said.
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She warned that some of the biggest triggers are disposable barbecues and litter left behind in beauty spots and rural areas.
“Barbecues are one of the main causes that go with wildfires or fires in fields or in the open,” she said.
People are being urged to make sure barbecue trays and coals have fully cooled before throwing them away, and to avoid dumping hot or smouldering materials in bins or on the ground.
Glass bottles can also be a problem, with the sun’s rays magnified through discarded containers and potentially starting fires in dry grass and undergrowth.
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Alongside the wildfire alert, Ms Forder advised residents to think twice before lighting garden bonfires, stressing that sparks and embers can travel further than many realise.
“It's not just the radiated heat. It could be embers or sparks from the fire that can then jump and create a fire elsewhere,” she said.
Crews say the consequences of a large blaze can be severe, threatening homes on the urban–rural fringe and causing widespread damage to farmland, livestock and wildlife habitats across Oxfordshire.
“They think they've got time to react. But it's not always the case,” Ms Forder added, highlighting how fast flames can move once they take hold in dry summer conditions.
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