2025 was the United Kingdom's worst year for wildfires on record, with the highest area of land affected by them since records began in 2012. Over was burnt, surpassing the previous annual record set in 2019 by more than ; it also recorded the highest number of fires larger than at 181, an increase of 30 from the previous record set in 2022. The largest wildfire from the outbreak was Dava wildfire, occurring in the Scottish Highlands.
Overview The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) keeps records of wildfires in Europe and has maintained a database since 2004. By April, 2025 had seen the highest area in the United Kingdom burned by wildfires, reaching by the end of the year. The previous record was set in 2019, when a total area of was burned throughout the year. This year also saw the highest number of fires, with EFFIS mapping 181 fires greater than ; the previous record was 151, set in 2022. During the seven days from 2–8 April alone, was burned by 31 fires across the country, the highest 7-day total on record.
March England On 10 March, a fire started deliberately at Canford Heath affected two areas of heathland, measuring in total. On 17 March, a fire at RSPB Arne spread to . On 19 March, a grassfire started on Rafland Common, west of Shap, covering about .
On 21 March, a fire at Howden Moor in the Peak District caused £30,000 of damage after burning . South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service brought the blaze under control in 12 hours with support from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service. Another fire began at around 1:30 p.m. on the same day on Marsden Moor; it covered an area of around .
Northern Ireland On 17 March at 6:42 p.m. a fire began in near Castlewellan in the Mourne Mountains; it was attended by seven appliances and 60 firefighters and is believed to have been started deliberately.
Scotland At 2:15 p.m. on 20 March, a fire started near Bowling in the Kilpatrick Hills; it was attended by four fire engines and was extinguished early the following day. On 21 March, six fire engines and a water tanker were sent to a fire between Culduthel and Inverarnie, close to Inverness; the B861 road was closed in both directions and a bus service had to be diverted.
Wales On 16 March, a grass fire began at 12:37 p.m. in the Thornhill area of Cwmbran; it was extinguished at 2:11 p.m. after spreading to around . A fire involving around of gorse began at around 6:30 p.m. at Blaenau Ffestiniog; the fire service said it was under control by 00:30 a.m. At 8:18 p.m. a wildfire began and went on to burn large areas of moorland between Bronaber and Trawsfynydd, with a fire front of being reported at midnight on 17 March.
On 18 March, a wildfire began in Caerphilly at 3:22 p.m. and spread to cover before it was extinguished at 6:53 p.m. On 20 March at 9:36 a.m. fire crews were called to a large fire near Carrog. It was extinguished at 11:02 a.m. on 22 March after affecting over of land. One resident in Treorchy captured a video of flames getting close to their home after a wildfire started in the nearby mountains on 21 March. A small wildfire broke out in Blackwood, Caerphilly, on 30 March; it started at around 4 p.m. and was extinguished by 6:15 p.m. On 31 March, a fire on the Sugar Loaf, a hill near Abergavenny, burned for many hours before it was extinguished at 10:24 a.m. the following day.
April Early April saw many fires as a result of prolonged dry and sunny conditions throughout March. The seven days from 2–8 April saw over burned: the highest weekly total on record. A fire which began in the Galloway Forest Park in south-west Scotland burnt an estimated , whilst another east of Ystrad Fflur in mid-Wales burnt roughly . At the start of April, numerous fire brigades warned of a high wildfire risk, with the Met Office issuing an amber wildfires warning following the sunniest March in England since records began in 1910. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) issued a "very high" to "extreme" wildfire warning from 2–7 April; this as followed by an "extreme" warning from 11–12 April.
England
On 3 April, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) were called to two fires: one which burnt at Upton Heath and one at Canford Heath which burnt . On 4 April, a grass fire in Bostall Woods in south-east London was attended by 25 firefighters. A fire started on Gentleshaw Common at 8 p.m. and spread to , with six fire engines attending it; a wildlife trust said that many animals, including bees, birds, mammals and reptiles were killed in the blaze, and the fire service said the fire was started deliberately. On 5 April, multiple fires broke out across Cumbria, mostly along the coast near Nethertown, St Bees and Walney. On that weekend, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service attended over 40 blazes, many of which close to the Cumbrian Coast Line which delayed rail services between Whitehaven and Sellafield; Network Rail said that signalling cables were damaged, with over of cable having to be replaced. They added that they were investigating whether some of the fires were caused by a passing steam train. The same weekend saw a number of fires on Bodmin Moor, namely near Blisland, Bolventor, Millpool and Temple. On 6 April, four appliances took five hours to extinguish a fire in Bestwood Country Park. On 8 April, a large fire began on Beeley Moor, with about 40 firefighters attending the blaze. On 9 April, Rimrose Valley saw its ninth wildfire within four weeks.
On 10 April, a large fire began on Marsden Moor at around 5 p.m. near March Haigh Reservoir, with six fire engines and five wildlife support units attending by 8 p.m. On 12 April, over 30 firefighters spent around 6 hours fighting a fire beside the A30 road near Blackwater. Between 9:45 a.m. on 12 April and 11 p.m. on 13 April, Cleveland Fire Brigade fought nine fires at Eston Hills. A large fire broke out at 2 p.m. on 14 April spanning in Holmfirth; it forced the temporary closure of the A635 road before the 12 fire crews attending it were stood down at 5:45 p.m. A wildfire began at Studland on 17 April at around 2:30 p.m. and stranded people as the road to the Sandbanks Ferry was closed.
On 20 April, a fire broke out at around 3 p.m. beside a railway line near Goathland; it spread to burn around of moorland and the railway line was closed for two days. At 7:10 p.m. on 25 April, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) were called to a blaze at Easington Colliery, believed to have been started deliberately; two engines were at the scene for six hours tackling the blaze. On 30 April, a large wildfire began at 11:42 a.m. in the Upper Goyt Valley, close to the Cat and Fiddle Inn in Derbyshire. Ten fire engines attended the blaze, with eight crews and a helicopter returning the following day as it reached a size of . The Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze had caused "devastation" to the wildlife, with many dead animals including mammals and birds; crews finally left the scene on 6 May after over 100 firefighters attended the incident.
Northern Ireland
A major incident was declared on 5 April after a large wildfire started in County Down, near the Mourne Mountains. Over 100 firefighters and 14 appliances attended the blaze, which the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said stretched for around near Hilltown. NIFRS Group Commander Ross Toland said that a small number of nearby residents had been asked to leave their homes overnight. On 6 April, three additional fires began in the Mournes at Ben Crom, Silent Valley and Slieve Bearnagh; the latter was contained two days later after more than 75 firefighters attended the long blaze. In May, the Mourne Heritage Trust estimated that the fire at Silent Valley spread over of land.
On 7 April, a fire at Sawel Mountain which was started deliberately was attended by up to 40 firefighters. On 8 April, a fire on Divis and Black Mountain was extinguished after being attended by 26 firefighters. A gorse fire began north of Ballygawley in County Tyrone, which was attended by 29 fire appliances as it threatened properties. On 9 April two gorse fires were reported: one in Fintona at 4:50 p.m. which was attended by five fire appliances and 38 firefighters; and one in Cargan at 5:23 p.m. which was attended by 41 firefighters.
On 10 April, a fire at Brookeborough was attended by 33 firefighters, whilst a blaze outside Draperstown which was started deliberately was attended by 54 firefighters. In total, the NIFRS attended 296 wildfires between 3 and 10 April 147 of which were in the Mournes. A large fire near Glenshane Pass was extinguished at 11 p.m. on 11 April after it was attended by 10 appliances and 75 firefighters.
Scotland On 1 April, a large fire began in the Kilpatrick Hills near Glasgow and another was started deliberately in Banchory.
The SFRS were called to the Galloway Forest Park at 4:14 p.m. on 3 April where a fire had started near Glen Trool; by 4 April a helicopter had been brought in to drop water over the blaze. On 5 April the fire service reported they had evacuated people and properties, with five groups of walkers were evacuated from the hills the previous night. Two crews were at the scene on 6 April as helicopters continued to water bomb the area; the SFRS said the fire had moved on to Lamachan Hill, with four helicopters dropping water on the flames as the fire front was wide. The fire was under control by 7 April after spreading to Loch Doon. After the fire, the Galloway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT) searched the burned area for any belongings left by evacuated persons; they found one camp untouched by the fire despite its surroundings being scorched, and found no trace of the other two camps. According to Forestry and Land Scotland Regional Manager John Dougan, the fire spread to burn over , a size he compared to that of Edinburgh.
A large blaze began at around 8:55 p.m. on Tullos Hill in Aberdeen on 4 April, with four fire engines sent to the scene before leaving at 2:54 a.m. the next day. On 5 April, a large fire began in Inverpolly near Stac Pollaidh, prompting the closure of part of the A835 road between Achiltibuie and Badnagyle. It was extinguished by 7:30 p.m. two days later after being attended by six appliances. On 7 April, another fire began in a forest near Inverkip; it caused large amounts of haze on the River Clyde as smoke drifted over Greenock, prompting ships to use their foghorns as visibility was low. At around midday on 8 April a fire started in the Glendale area on the Isle of Skye. It grew to long and was extinguished the next day after being attended by four fire engines.
On 10 April, grassfire started at 1 p.m. in Glen Rosa on the Isle of Arran; it was extinguished three days later after destroying 27,000 trees and killing hundreds of reptiles. Two fires were attended by four crews each, one in Thurso and another on the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. A fire at Fannyside Loch near Cumbernauld was attended by eight fire engines; it forced the evacuation of many properties, including an animal shelter. A fire started on an area of dunes and grass near the St Fergus Gas Terminal at around 1 p.m. on 11 April, with five fire engines and a specialist wildfire unit in attendance.
Wales On 1 April, numerous wildfires broke out across Wales, mostly in the south of the country. A fire in Crosskeys spread to and was extinguished at 10:03 a.m. on 2 April, whilst a fire in Abertillery started at 7:17 p.m. and was extinguished at 6:03 a.m. on 2 April. A fire in Garnlydan (near Beaufort, Blaenau Gwent) began at 10:12 p.m. and was extinguished at 1:19 a.m. after burning . A fire in Brynberian spread quickly amid winds, with five fire crews at the scene on 2 April. Other fires during the first week of April included those at Cefn Rhigos, Clydach Vale, Garndolbenmaen, Harlech, Hirwaun, Llanllwni, Nebo and Whitland.