13 августа 2026 года температура в Кью-Гарденс достигла, по предварительным данным, 38,1 °C — это был самый жаркий день в году и пятый по жарке за всю историю наблюдений. По всему региону Уэст-Мидлендс и за его пределами произошли пожары на лугах и в лесах ...
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On 13 August 2026 temperatures reached a provisional 38.1°C at Kew Gardens — the hottest day of the year and the fifth-hottest on record. Across the West Midlands and beyond, grass and woodland fires moved with unusual speed into residential streets. Around 100 firefighters confronted one of the most serious blazes near Stourbridge Golf Course. Homes were destroyed, people were hospitalised, and emergency services remained under sustained pressure into the following day.
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Key Takeaways by Planet Today
- The temperature marker: Met Office data confirmed 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on 13 August, exceeding the previous 2026 high and ranking among the warmest days ever recorded in the UK.
- Operational scale: Multiple major incidents were declared. In Stourbridge a fast-moving grass and woodland fire reached homes; West Midlands Fire Service described it as one of its most significant. Crews continued damping hotspots for days.
- Human cost and disruption: A child and three firefighters were taken to hospital; others were treated for smoke inhalation. Road and rail disruption, evacuations and heavy demand on water hydrants followed.
- Ignition and conditions: The large majority of UK wildfires are started by people — accidental or deliberate. Extreme heat, prolonged drought and dry vegetation turned small ignitions into rapid, destructive events.
- Immediate response: Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited affected areas, announced a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues, deployed military support in places, and signalled further resources including consideration of aerial firefighting capability.
Firefighters across England and Wales worked through the night and into Friday after a wave of fires broke out on the hottest day of 2026. In Stourbridge, West Midlands, a grass and woodland blaze near a golf course crossed roads and reached residential properties. West Midlands Fire Service deployed around 100 firefighters. Six or more homes were reported destroyed or severely damaged in early accounts; later local reporting put the number of destroyed or heavily affected properties higher. Three firefighters and a child required hospital treatment. Several other people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill called the incident one of the most significant the service had faced, noting the rapid spread under “tinder-dry” conditions and the volume of emergency calls. Progress was made overnight, yet crews remained on site for days extinguishing hotspots and securing the area. Similar pressure was felt elsewhere: Sandwell, Pershore, Stoke-on-Trent, Hampshire and South Wales all recorded serious fires. Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, confirmed multiple major incidents and that the year-to-date wildfire total for England and Wales had reached or surpassed the previous full-year record of 1,017.
Heat, Drought and the Speed of Spread
The Met Office recorded 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on 13 August, making it the hottest day of the year so far and the fifth-hottest day in the national record. Pershore in Worcestershire also reached 38°C. The reading came during the fifth heatwave of the summer. Large parts of England were already in drought; vegetation was exceptionally dry. Once ignited, fires moved faster and burned hotter than crews are accustomed to seeing in the UK.
Scientists and fire researchers note that the combination of extreme heat, low soil moisture and wind creates classic “fire weather.” Human-caused climate change has increased the likelihood and intensity of such conditions in the UK and across western Europe. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of UK wildfire ignitions are human — discarded cigarettes, disposable barbecues, deliberate acts, or accidental sparks from machinery and vehicles. Lightning is a rare cause in British records. The drought and heat do not light the match; they determine whether a small spark becomes a fast-moving, structure-threatening fire.
“This has been one of the most significant incidents that West Midlands Fire Service has ever attended. The devastation is extensive.” — Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill
Political and Operational Response
Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited the West Midlands, praised firefighters working in extreme conditions, and said the government would provide additional support where needed. A temporary nationwide ban on the retail sale of disposable barbecues was introduced, with retailers instructed to withdraw them from shelves and online. Military personnel were deployed to assist in South Wales. Officials signalled work on longer-term aerial firefighting capacity of the kind used in southern Europe and North America, and discussions of emergency funding for stretched fire services.
Fire chiefs have for some time warned that demand is rising faster than specialist capability and that prolonged dry spells and heatwaves are no longer exceptional. Prevention messaging — avoid open fires, dispose of cigarettes carefully, do not use disposable barbecues in dry conditions — has intensified. The public has also been asked to stay clear of active fire grounds so that crews can work safely.
What Other Coverage Often Leaves Out
Much reporting correctly focuses on the dramatic images of burning houses and exhausted firefighters. Less attention is sometimes given to the dual reality that almost all UK wildfires start with a human act, yet the scale of damage is governed by weather and fuel conditions that are becoming more severe. Focusing solely on individual carelessness can obscure the systemic increase in fire weather; focusing solely on climate can underplay the immediate, preventable role of ignition sources that remain under human control.
Alternative voices in the discussion point to under-investment in wildfire-specific training, equipment and aerial assets relative to the rising risk. Others note that urban-edge vegetation, railway corridors and recreational land create continuous fuel paths that allow fires to reach homes more easily than in previous decades. Both observations can be true at once: the climate is changing the baseline, and land-use and behaviour choices determine where and how often that baseline produces damage.
Two Additional Context Points
First, 2026 has already produced a record number of days reaching or exceeding 36°C and has matched the previous high for days at 38°C. The summer is on track to be among the warmest on record. Second, the same dry conditions that fuel fires also strain water supplies; millions of people face restrictions, and hydrant use by fire crews adds local pressure in affected districts.
Readers interested in parallel European fire seasons and the interaction of heat, drought and human ignition may find useful background in wider climate and land-management reporting.
Where Matters Stand
As of 14 August crews continued to damp down the Stourbridge site and other fires. Investigations into exact ignition sources for individual blazes remain under way. The temporary barbecue sales ban is in force and under review according to weather conditions. The broader questions — how quickly fire services can expand specialist wildfire capacity, how land managers reduce continuous dry fuel near homes, and how the public adapts behaviour during prolonged dry heat — will outlast any single incident.
The facts on the ground are clear: extreme heat met dry vegetation, human-started fires spread rapidly into communities, emergency services absorbed heavy demand, and the political response combined immediate restrictions with longer-term capability discussions. The relative weight given to climate drivers versus ignition behaviour will continue to shape both policy and public argument. The operational reality for firefighters remains the same regardless of that debate: when the landscape is this dry, every spark carries higher consequences.
Primary sources: Met Office temperature confirmation and heatwave analysis, 13 August 2026; West Midlands Fire Service statements and Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill; National Fire Chiefs Council figures cited by Phil Garrigan; contemporaneous reporting from BBC, Reuters, CNN and local West Midlands outlets; government announcements on the temporary disposable-barbecue sales restriction and military support. Science Media Centre expert comments on fire weather and human ignition rates.
Disclaimer: This article summarises verified meteorological data, official fire-service statements and contemporaneous reporting as of 14 August 2026. Exact property counts and injury figures can be revised as assessments continue. Cause determinations for individual fires are subject to ongoing investigation. Readers should consult primary Met Office, fire-service and government sources for the latest operational updates.
