Latest news with #fireprevention
Telegraph
38 minutes ago
- Climate
- Telegraph
Eight ways to fireproof your garden in a heatwave
While we all love a British heatwave, our gardens can suffer without rain and, in especially high temperatures, can even become a fire hazard. Dry conditions coupled with long days of heat create the ideal circumstances for a blaze to start. Fire and rescue services in the UK reported an increase in incidents of 1 per cent at the end of September 2024, compared with the same time the year before. The Met Office predicts an increase in wildfires worldwide of 50 per cent by 2100. While there's no doubt that garden fires are becoming more of a concern in the UK, there are things you can do to minimise the risks and fireproof your garden. Choose plants wisely Most of us don't choose our plants with potential fires in mind, but there are some things worth considering, especially when a drought is approaching. 'Plants that can hold on to moisture, such as succulents, are less flammable than those with thin or dry leaves,' says Graham Smith, a gardening expert from gardening suppliers LBS Horticulture. 'These plants burn slower, and will not spread fire to other areas of your garden as quickly. You can still use plants that are highly flammable, but ensure that you are planting them a few feet away from your home to prevent the spread of fire as much as possible.' Give plants some space It's also important properly to space your plants apart from each other in your garden, so that if a fire does break out, it won't spread quickly from one plant to another. This is especially important if you have shrubs and trees. 'Avoid plants that grow densely,' says Andrew White, a gardening expert at Rhino Greenhouses, 'as once they begin to burn, you'll find the whole plant will quickly become engulfed and it could fuel a fire that could quickly become out of control.' Keep your lawn short and moist For most of the year in the UK, we don't need to worry about watering our established lawns, but in especially hot and dry weather, grass will need a helping hand. Don't be tempted to overwater; it's necessary to water your lawn only once or twice a week when there's no rain on the horizon, and it's better to give your lawn a good soaking infrequently than to water constantly. But far more important for fireproofing is to keep your grass short. 'Lawns can spread fire fast if they are not being maintained correctly,' says Smith. 'Tall or dry grass will catch fire quickly, and turn a small fire into a larger one. Keep your lawn short, and consider watering your grass during warm, dry weather, as a higher moisture content in the soil and grass blades can slow the spread of fire.' Place your barbecue in a safe spot Disposable barbecues cause havoc every year in hot weather and most outdoor leisure areas have visible warnings against using them because of the fire risk they pose. In your own back garden, using your barbecue is relatively safe, but where you decide to place it can be an important factor when it comes to the risk of a fire breaking out. Ensure your barbecue is placed on a flat surface, not on decking, and far away from sheds, trees and other plants. The type of barbecue you choose also has a bearing on your risk of fire breaking out. 'Hot and dry weather increases the risk of fires in your garden, and when pairing this with a coal barbecue, the risk of a fire breaking out in your garden increases massively,' says White. 'Where possible, use a gas one, or cook inside on particularly hot and dry days. This helps to minimise the risk of things in your garden catching fire.' If you do use a coal barbecue, make sure it's properly extinguished once you have finished cooking. Close the lid and all the vents on the bottom of the grill to cut off the oxygen supply to the coals. Use firepits safely The rise in popularity of firepits in our gardens over the past few years has largely been a positive one. Who doesn't love sitting around a fire, toasting marshmallows and stargazing? But it's important to use firepits safely. 'If you have a firepit in your garden, it should be surrounded by a non-flammable area made from gravel or concrete,' says Smith. 'Ensure that you have a garden hose nearby that can be used to extinguish flames quickly if needed. You should also avoid using wood or wicker furniture near a firepit, and opt for furniture made from non-flammable materials such as wrought iron or aluminium. If these furnishings have soft elements such as cushions or seat covers, these should be kept indoors if fire is a concern.' There are also some rules around using firepits that you need to follow. Don't burn household waste that can cause pollution, such as plastic, and watch where the smoke from your firepit is drifting: it can be a nuisance to neighbours and in some cases can be a hazard to traffic. Control your compost heap It's a rare occurrence, but in high temperatures a compost heap can spontaneously combust. Most fires in compost heaps start because the heap has a lot of dry leaves or even pieces of wood that have lain unmoved for some time. Compost heaps have damp innards that store heat, so it's important to manage them well. 'Compost piles can pose a fire risk, especially during hot weather,' says landscaper Simon Wilkinson, who is DSEAR-qualified (dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres regulations). 'Compost generates heat as it decomposes and it can catch fire, so keep it away from your home, shed and any other wooden structures, and turn it over regularly to prevent it from getting too hot.' Choose the right kind of mulch The same can be said for garden mulch. While it serves a good purpose and can keep weeds at bay, it can be flammable, and large piles of mulch can combust in the same way that compost can. 'Mulching is often used to retain soil moisture,' says Smith, 'but the moisture-retaining properties of the mulch can potentially have the opposite effect if you use a material such as woodchips or straw. Try to use alternative materials instead, such as gravel.' Consider your furniture and surfaces Glass tables on your patio look nice, but consider carefully any glass you have in your garden. 'Glass tables, bottles and drinking cups can act like magnifying glasses, concentrating sunlight. This can easily start a fire if the conditions are right,' says Wilkinson. 'One way to give yourself peace of mind is to use fireproof paint on your fencing, sheds and pergolas, which can massively reduce the ability of a fire to spread if one did break out.' The easiest way to reduce your risk of a garden fire is by minimising its spread, and your garden provides you with many opportunities to combine safety with style. 'Hardscaping can be used to landscape a garden,' says Smith, 'but it can also function as a firebreak. Gravel paths, paved patios and stone walls can slow or prevent the spread of fire without needing to compromise on the overall aesthetics of your garden.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sharp rise in rural fires as temperatures continue to soar
As temperatures have soared this week, firefighters across the county have been busy battling blazes out in the open. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Services attended four fires in the open on Thursday, which turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far with a local peak of 29C. These were in Great Yarmouth, Terrington St Clement, Dereham and Gorleston. On Wednesday, crews attended another six of these incidents in Norwich, Dereham, Blackborough End, Crimplesham and Wretham. All regions across England remain under an amber health alert until Monday and temperatures in Norfolk are expected to exceed 30C. READ MORE: With this in mind, the fire service has issued a warning for people to be safe while out and about in the sun. A spokesman said: "Fires in the open are mostly avoidable. In this weather they can spread very quickly and become wildfires. "If you're out and about this week, please help us keep Norfolk safe by taking extra care. "And if you see a fire, calling 999 quickly will help us get to it before it spreads too far. "The main cause of wildfires is human activity. Help us by fully extinguishing smoking materials, taking a picnic instead of a disposable barbecue, putting litter in a bin or taking it home - including glass bottles which are a particular fire hazard in hot weather - and downloading what3words to your phone so you can pinpoint the exact location of a rural fire to our brilliant control room team."
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
PG&E shuts off power in these Bay Area cities
The Brief A small area of Clayton was the first area PG&E turned off power in to prevent wildfires. Later in the day, areas near Livermore, Discovery Bay, and Lake delete Vale had their power shut off too. PG&E proactively shuts off its power lines after the utility paid millions in fines and was criminally convicted of causing deadly wildfires. CLAYTON, Calif. - As the utility forewarned, Pacific Gas & Electric turned off power to a portion of customers, mostly in the East Bay, on Thursday in a preventive measure to reduce the risk of wildfires as high winds and dry conditions are expected through Saturday. Power was shut off in Clayton, a city in Contra Costa County at the base of Mount Diablo State Park, at 4:47 a.m. and PG&E told the 73 customers affected that it would be restored as soon as it is safe. By noon, PG&E had also shut off power to areas near Livermore, Lake del Valle, Byron, Altamont Pass Road, Sycamore Grove Regional Park, an area along Interstate 580 west of Tracy, and homes south of Discovery Bay. PG&E warned earlier this week that customers in parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties may also be temporarily shut off during these high-risk fire conditions. As of now, the areas identified for potential shutoffs are primarily in remote regions. To check for your neighborhood, PG&E has provided an outage map. PG&E has paid millions in fines and was criminally convicted of involuntary manslaughter stemming from at least 30 wildfires since 2017 that have wiped out thousands of homes and killed more than 100 people. Some of those fires were caused by the utility's power lines that sparked while electricity was running through them.
CTV News
20 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. Forest Practices Board says forestry changes could reduce wildfire risk
A helicopter works on the Dryden Creek wildfire north of Squamish, B.C., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin British Columbia's Forest Practices Board says a two-year investigation has found 'outdated rules and unclear responsibility' are stopping forestry from becoming a wildfire prevention tool. The board — an independent body that audits B.C. forest practices — says it examined forestry operations between 2019 and 2022 in areas where communities and forests meet, including the Sea to Sky, Cariboo-Chilcotin and Peace districts. It says fire hazard assessments are a 'cornerstone of wildfire risk reduction,' and while the industry assessments met 70 per cent of the requirements, fewer than one-quarter were completed on time. The board says municipalities are excluded from the definition of legal interface, a term used for fires burning close to homes, which means logging debris can remain for up to 30 months, even in high-risk areas. The report makes five recommendations to the province that it says would help support 'faster fuel cleanup, better co-ordination and more consistent protection for people and communities throughout B.C.' The suggestions include encouraging forest operators to actively reduce fire risk, improve co-ordination between government and industry, update legal definitions to add municipalities in the interface, modernize hazard assessment guidelines and incentivize faster logging cleanup. Board chair Keith Atkinson says more than a million B.C. residents live in areas with high or extreme wildfire risk. 'Foresters are already active in these spaces. With better rules and incentives, their efforts can become part of the wildfire solution,' he says in the release. 'This is an opportunity to improve our policies and processes toward proactive, risk-reducing forestry. It starts with better policy and ends with safer, more fire-resilient communities.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press
The Independent
a day ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Fires breakout in London after soaring heat across UK
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned Londoners against using disposable barbecues and urged caution due to a heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 30C. The LFB responded to two grass fires in Rainham recently and recorded 332 barbecue-related callouts between 2022 and May 2025, with 17 resulting in casualties. LFB assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne emphasized the high risk of fires spreading rapidly due to the dry conditions and urged the public to prevent incidents. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert for the entire country from Thursday to Monday, indicating potential impacts on health and social services. The Met Office reported that UK heatwaves are becoming longer and hotter, with the chance of exceeding 40C now over 20 times more likely than in the 1960s due to escalating climate trends.
