Written evidence submitted by the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (CWR0210)
DEFRA Select Committee Call for Evidence
The Growing Threat of Wildfires in the UK
Submission from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) June 2026
Executive Summary
Key Findings
This submission is informed by operational learning arising from the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) response to the Langdale Moor Wildfire Major Incident during August and September 2025. The incident affected up to 25 square kilometres of moorland and forestry within the North York Moors and required a sustained multi-agency response over several weeks involving Fire and Rescue Services, landowners, environmental agencies, Local Resilience Forum partners, National Resilience assets and government stakeholders.
The incident involved prolonged surface and deep-seated peat fire, difficult terrain, limited rural access, rapidly changing fire behaviour and direct risk to critical national infrastructure at RAF Fylingdales. Operational learning from the incident reinforced many of the themes and recommendations identified within the NFCC Wildfires Position Statement, particularly in relation to land management, prevention, specialist capability, data and research, public awareness and cross-government coordination.
The incident reinforced that wildfire should increasingly be viewed as a broader climate resilience and land management challenge rather than solely a seasonal rural firefighting issue. Prolonged dry weather, increasing temperatures and changing land use are likely to increase both the frequency and complexity of wildfire incidents across the UK.
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement identifies wildfire as an increasingly significant national resilience challenge driven by climate change, prolonged periods of hot and dry weather, changing land use and increasing pressure on the rural-urban interface. Operational experience from the Langdale/Fylingdales incident supported this assessment.
The scale and duration of the incident required sustained operational activity over several weeks whilst Fire and Rescue Services continued to maintain normal emergency response arrangements across wider geographic areas. The incident demonstrated the complexity that can arise where wildfire impacts environmental assets, critical infrastructure, public access, rural communities and multi-agency resilience arrangements simultaneously.
Operational learning reinforced the need to increasingly consider wildfire alongside other climate-driven emergencies within wider resilience and adaptation planning arrangements.
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement identifies land management, fuel reduction and prevention activity as critical components of long-term wildfire resilience.
Operational experience from the Langdale/Fylingdales incident strongly reinforced this position. The incident occurred during a period of prolonged hot and dry weather with exceptionally low fuel moisture conditions. Extensive areas of continuous heather, grassland and dry vegetation supported rapid fire spread across large areas of moorland, particularly during periods of strong and changing winds.
Existing firebreaks, tracks and areas of fuel separation proved valuable in slowing fire spread, improving access and supporting containment operations. However, the incident also highlighted the vulnerability of some rural landscapes where there are limited natural or man-made barriers to interrupt fire progression during severe conditions.
Operational tactics frequently relied upon strengthening and maintaining defensible control lines through fuel separation, surface scraping and targeted suppression activity. This reinforced the importance of ensuring that wildfire resilience considerations are incorporated alongside environmental and land management objectives.
The incident also demonstrated that nature-based approaches can support wildfire resilience where they improve peatland hydrology, moisture retention and sustainable vegetation management. However, operational learning suggests that environmental objectives and wildfire resilience considerations should be balanced carefully to avoid unintentionally increasing fuel continuity and wildfire risk.
Future policy and investment should support:
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement identifies the importance of improved data, research and understanding of wildfire behaviour in supporting future preparedness and operational response.
Operational learning from the Langdale/Fylingdales incident demonstrated the value of enhanced situational awareness and environmental monitoring during prolonged wildfire incidents. Daily drone heat mapping, aerial intelligence and environmental monitoring supported hotspot identification, tactical planning and resource deployment throughout the incident.
The Met Office Fire Severity Index and existing wildfire recording arrangements provide an important foundation for wildfire monitoring and preparedness. However, operational learning highlighted the benefit of continued development and integration of wildfire forecasting, environmental monitoring and incident data across agencies.
Areas for continued development include:
The incident also highlighted evidence gaps relating to:
A coordinated research approach involving Fire and Rescue Services, academia, environmental agencies and the Met Office would support future preparedness and evidence-based policy development.
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement highlights the increasing requirement for specialist capability, interoperability and resilience arrangements to support increasingly complex wildfire incidents.
Operational learning from the Langdale/Fylingdales incident reinforced the challenges associated with prolonged wildfire response in remote rural environments, including difficult terrain, limited vehicle access, extended logistical requirements and sustained operational activity over several weeks.
The incident demonstrated the value of:
Operational learning also highlighted the pressures placed on rural Fire and Rescue Services in sustaining prolonged wildfire operations whilst maintaining normal emergency response activity across wider geographic areas. During August 2025, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service faced availability pressures as a result of the Langdale/Fylingdales incident and did not meet its agreed response standard. Average response times increased to more than 14 minutes, compared with a typical monthly average of around 12 minutes.
Continued investment in specialist training, interoperability, operational learning and rural response capability would support future resilience as wildfire incidents increase in scale and complexity.
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement identifies prevention, public education and awareness campaigns as important measures in reducing wildfire occurrence.
The majority of UK wildfires are caused by human activity, whether accidental or deliberate. UK Government wildfire guidance highlights the importance of public behaviour and awareness during periods of elevated wildfire risk.
Operational experience from recent incidents demonstrates how quickly relatively small ignitions can escalate into prolonged wildfire incidents during periods of hot, dry and windy conditions.
There is therefore a strong case for:
The continued development of public wildfire risk communication tools, including the Met Office Fire Severity Index, may also support improved public awareness and preparedness.
The NFCC Wildfires Position Statement identifies the need for stronger cross-government coordination and a more integrated approach to wildfire resilience.
Operational learning from the Langdale/Fylingdales incident strongly reinforced this position. The response required coordination across multiple organisations including Fire and Rescue Services, environmental agencies, landowners, Local Resilience Forum partners, government departments and operators of critical national infrastructure.
The incident demonstrated the extent to which wildfire risk intersects with environmental policy, climate adaptation, infrastructure resilience, civil contingencies and public health.
There is a need for:
Operational learning from the incident reinforced the importance of ensuring that wildfire resilience is increasingly considered within wider national resilience and climate adaptation arrangements.
Rural Fire and Rescue Services face a particular challenge where wildfire risk is concentrated in large, sparsely populated landscapes but national funding arrangements continue to distribute a fixed funding pot on the basis of relative need across all English authorities. Although the current fire formula includes top-ups for sparsity, coastline, deprivation, high risk, property and societal risk, and community fire safety, it does not explicitly recognise the sustained capability, specialist training, logistics and resilience requirements associated with prolonged wildfire operations in remote rural terrain. This creates a structural mismatch for services such as North Yorkshire, where the highest wildfire risks often sit alongside lower population growth and large geographic areas that are more costly to protect.
The financial impact of the Langdale/Fylingdales wildfire and wider resilience challenges should also be considered within the context of significant funding pressures. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has experienced consecutive reductions in central government funding, with a projected 25% reduction (£3.3m) over three years, alongside increasing demand associated with climate-driven incidents. While local precept increases have supported improved financial sustainability, prolonged incidents of this nature continue to place significant pressure on service resources and recovery funding arrangements.
The Langdale/Fylingdales Moor Wildfire Major Incident demonstrated the growing scale, complexity and resource demands associated with prolonged wildfire incidents within the UK, particularly for rural Fire and Rescue Services responsible for large and sparsely populated areas.
Operational learning from the incident reinforced many of the themes identified within the NFCC Wildfires Position Statement, particularly in relation to land management, prevention, specialist capability, data and research, public awareness and cross-government coordination. It also highlighted the financial challenge facing rural services where wildfire risk is increasing but funding arrangements do not fully reflect the cost of sustaining prolonged operations, specialist capability and resilience across wide geographic areas.
Climate change, prolonged dry conditions and changing land use patterns are likely to increase both the frequency and complexity of wildfire incidents within the UK. For North Yorkshire, this pressure has developed alongside approximately £1.2 million in reduced central government funding, and an estimated £21 million less available for investment over time due to the earlier precept freeze. Continued development of a coordinated and long-term approach to wildfire resilience must therefore include fairer and more sustainable funding arrangements for rural Fire and Rescue Services, supporting environmental protection, public safety, infrastructure resilience and climate adaptation objectives.
May 2026