Wildfires are uncontrolled vegetation fires which may involve moorland, heath, grassland or agricultural land but in recent history the spread of these fires have impacted nearby homes too.

Whether you live rurally or on the edge of an urban environment your home could be at risk of fire from a Wildfire.

To keep safe we recommend your follow our safety tips below, this will help protect your home and your garden.

Protecting your home

• Clearing flammable debris such as dead leaves from guttering.
• Making sure that flammable substances such as fuel, fertilisers and pesticides are safely stored away from your home.
• Checking that all property exit routes are clear from inside and outside the home.
• Stopping hot embers from entering your roof space by repairing loose and broken roof tiles.
• Checking for spaces between roof tiles or within your home where burning embers could become lodged and make sure they are clear.
• Positioning garden structures, such as sheds and compost heaps away from the house.
• avoid parking on or near fire hydrants.
• Ensure fire and rescue services can easily find and access your property:
  • Is the house number or name clearly visible?
  • Provide information to fire control from apps such as What3Words or Ordnance Survey Locate in rural areas to help fire and rescue services find your exact location.

Protecting your garden

• Aiming for a cleared zone of 5-10 foot around all sides of your home by removing combustible materials such as felled trees and long grass.
• Speaking to neighbours or contacting your local authority if you are concerned about land that is not yours.
• Cutting back trees and shrubs that are close to or touching your house and dispose of the waste responsibly – don’t throw cuttings onto adjacent land or let them dry out in your garden, it’s fuel in the event of a fire.
• Keeping grass cut short (below about 7cm) and remove cut grass – long, dry grass can burn if an ignition source is introduced.
• Clearing flammable debris such as dead leaves from from the garden and guttering.
• Positioning sheds away from your property.
• Separating trees, bushes and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture.
• Keeping your garden maintained and watered in dry spells. Consider using water from water butts or waste water from the home if hosepipe bans are in place.
• Following safety advice to reduce the risk of fire in the garden such as when having barbecues

Create an Evacuation Plan

Consider essentials you would need if you have to leave your property, including items like

• medication
• money
• clothing
• food
• valuables
• pets

Why is it important?

The picture above is from the Wennington wildfire which took place in Wennington, east London, on 19 July 2022 during the 2022 United Kingdom heatwave.

No-one was killed, but the wildfire destroyed about 18–19 houses, including all the possessions of many residents.

If you are concerned about wildfires near your property please use the advice and guidance on this page to keep yourself safe, or sign up for the government emergency alerts service. You can find out more information on the GOV.UK website. Fire and rescue services can issue an alert if there is a risk to life and the alert is based on your current location

for everything else we recommend you complete an Online Home Fire Safety Check.