What is a wildfire?

Not all outdoor fires are wildfires.

Currently, there is no single definition of what constitutes a wildfire and categorisation varies across different agencies.

NFCC’s Operational Guidance definition of a wildfire meets one or more of the following:

• Involves a geographical area of at least one hectare (10,000 square metres)
• Has a sustained flame length of more than 1.5 metres
• Requires a committed resource of at least four fire and rescue service appliances/resources
• Requires resources to be committed for at least six hours
• Presents a serious threat to life, environment, property, and infrastructure.

Use the links below to find out about:

• protecting your home from wildfire
• advice on visiting the countryside to help prevent wildfires
• National wildfire prevention toolkit