Wildfire in Suffolk forces evacuations near Sizewell B nuclear plant as UK battles multiple blazes

Suffolk fire and evacuations

A large wildfire broke out on Dunwich Heath in Suffolk shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday 29 July. By Thursday morning it had burned 247 acres (about 140 football pitches), though one report put the size at 371 acres. Suffolk fire and rescue service declared a major incident "due to the size and complexity" of the blaze. Around 90 firefighters were initially on scene, later reinforced to 120 personnel with 18 fire engines. Specialist drone support, Unimogs and 4x4 quad bikes were used to assess fire behaviour and protect properties.

Crews from Leiston attended the scene and were met with what is a large-scale, wind-driven forestry fire. The incident has subsequently been upgraded to a major incident. We currently have approximately 90 firefighters on scene working incredibly hard in arduous conditions to bring this fire under control.

Dozens of people, including families with babies and dogs, were evacuated from homes and the Cliff House holiday park. Preparations were made for the potential evacuation of about 200 caravans. Evacuees were directed to Westleton Village Hall. No injuries have been reported. The fire service expected the blaze to last up to two more days.

Nuclear plant proximity

The fire is burning roughly 4 miles from Sizewell B, Britain's largest nuclear power station. The fire service said there was "no current risk" to the plant because of the distance and the direction the fire was travelling, but described the situation as "live and dynamic." Sizewell B has its own safety infrastructure to combat wildfires.

Norfolk fires

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service dealt with more than a dozen fires on Wednesday, five of them classed as wildfires. A field fire at Blackborough End damaged an outbuilding and a mile of farmland. A 60-acre field fire near Aylsham halted steam train services on the Bure Valley Railway. Other incidents included a woodland blaze at Shouldham Warren, a field fire at Knapton attended by appliances from 12 stations, and fires at Buxton and Gunton. Norfolk crews also provided assistance at the Dunwich Heath fire.

Our teams are working around the clock to ensure the safety of our county, and we remain available 24/7 for Norfolk this summer.

Cairngorms and climate context

In Scotland, firefighters were still tackling a wildfire in the Cairngorms that began on 15 July near Aviemore. At its height, more than 500 firefighters responded and two helicopters dropped up to 40,000 litres of water per hour. The blaze was declared a major incident, with smoke visible in Aberdeen over 60 miles away. Crews said they were making "significant progress."

Southern Spain and southern France are starting to get the weather that North Africa had, and the U.K. is starting to get the weather that Spain or France had 20 years ago. That is the whole thing about climate change.

The whole thing has been horrifying from start to finish. When you see a national park going up in flames over a widespread area, with huge levels of destruction, it's heartbreaking.

British summers are becoming hotter and drier. Last year's Dava Moor fire in the Scottish Highlands was the country's first megafire, incinerating almost as much land as normally burns across the whole of Britain in a year and releasing greenhouse gases trapped under peat soils for around a millennium. The UK Health Security Agency had issued an amber heat-health alert for the East Midlands, the east and south-east of England and London, remaining in place until 9am on Thursday.