Extended periods of dry weather heighten Jersey's wildfire risk - Jersey Evening Post
by Megan Davies · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Extended periods of dry weather heighten Jersey’s wildfire risk
by Megan Davies 31 July 202630 July 2026
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EXTENDED periods of dry weather this summer have left the Island at risk of severe wildfires – as large parts of Europe battle major blazes.
Wildfires have decimated parts of France and Spain, while thousands were evacuated from the Greek Island of Crete yesterday. Emergency services in Suffolk declared a major incident after a blaze broke out, while, closer to home, a gorse fire in Sark scorched 20,000sq-m.
It has led to increased fears that the extended periods of dry, hot weather experienced in recent months could put Jersey at risk.
And chief fire officer Paul Brown has said the “continuing trend” of increasing fires across Europe was worrying and something that all fire services have to prepare for – particularly as average temperatures increase.
Earlier this month, the Fire Severity Index estimate from Jersey Met showed a week-long period where the Island was at an extreme level, although this number has since dropped.
The Fire Severity Index predicts how severe a fire would be should one break out – though it does not predict the likelihood of a fire.
Mr Brown said frontline and senior officers had been preparing for the possibility of a wildfire – and praised Islanders for behaving sensibly.
“Anything above five is extreme,” he said. “Three weeks ago, it was ten, [which is] exceptionally high. But of course, we didn’t have a wildfire.”
He said: “When you look at across Europe and the UK and other places, what we’re obviously seeing is a greater frequency of wildfires, and we all have to be ready for that.
“We are going to see a continuing trend for that and therefore adapt to that.”
After experiencing wildfires in the 1990s and 2000s, the Island had gone through a period without large wildfires.
Mr Brown said that while the Island does not have similar landscapes to the French and Spanish areas with fires “that’s not to say that it can’t happen in Jersey. It absolutely can happen in Jersey”.
In the early summer, training for crews saw them refresh their wildfire tactics, equipment and supply chains.
Mr Brown said that, for example, crews would choose the best moment to attack a fire: “Shade, no wind behind it, typically when it’s going downhill.”
Meanwhile the service’s senior leaders looked at strategies, mutual aid, resources, and other “larger and more long-term thinking”.
Specialist advisors can help on video calls or be brought to the Island, while Mr Brown said mutual aid “is possible”, but would not be as readily available as it would be in the UK.
The service, Mr Brown explained, splits its work into three phases: prevention, protection, and response, adding that “Islanders play a major part in [prevention].”
“Fire risk management is best done by people themselves,” he said. “People have obviously been doing a really good job. We’d ask them to continue.”
He added that Jersey’s wildfires tend to be in coastal areas, particularly on the north coast.
“A lot of the vegetation that we’re talking about, fern and gorse, increases the severity of a fire,” Mr Brown said. “Three things make it worse, not better: normally a wildfire burns more when the sun is on that bit of land, when the wind is behind it, and when it’s going uphill.”
Asked if he was confident about the Island’s ability to handle a wildfire, he said: “I’d be cautious about being confident. I really hope one doesn’t happen that would be my much preferred outcome.
“They are very, very demanding, very, very challenging, and a very dangerous activity. I’d rather it didn’t happen. If it does happen, we will do what we are trained to do.”
Fire safety for the summer
- Take care with barbecues: Where are they? Could fire spread? For beach barbecues, cool off sand afterwards. Don’t have a barbecue on fern or gorse.
- Never leave a barbecue unattended, and keep water nearby. Only dispose of barbecues when they are cold.
- Don’t burn off rubbish with a bonfire
- Don’t leave glass or cigarettes in the countryside
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