UK heatwave: 'A very dangerous few days,' says Dorset fire advisor

A firefighter with experience of Californian wildfires has said the UK is heading into a "very dangerous few days" as a four-day extreme heat warning begins.

National Wildfire Tactical Advisor and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service's (DWFRS) Andy Elliott, a firefighter for 39 years, said resources were finite.

Mr Elliott said the ground was "as dry as it can be".

The Met Office warning covering most of England and Wales expires on Sunday.

"The longstanding drought means that what should be green is now yellow and the heat makes things worse. Although we don't expect 40°C we're another two weeks down the line so everything is drier," Mr Elliot said.

He believed there had been more field fires, which was inevitable during peak harvest time, but said the farming community had been "brilliant" at minimising fire risks.

"We've had very difficult spells in the past but this is definitely one of the worst years I've seen, it's not over yet and there's no sign of an end to it", he added.

Mr Elliot, who has experience of fighting large wildfires in California, said: "The ground is as dry as it can be, we are going into a very dangerous few days."

All calls to the control room would be answered he said, adding "you will get an engine, 20 minutes is our target time but if every engine is deployed it may take longer to get that engine where it needs to be".

DWFRS has a "simple triage process" for dealing with incoming calls and works in partnership with Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services.

This meant resources could be shared across the region if needed, although if crews are all busy they "may not be available to be mobilised elsewhere".

The risk of heath fires was currently not as great as heather and gorse was coming into flower "so there's a lot of moisture, but if they do catch fire it will be significant," he added.

"We just need the public to use their common sense and not have BBQs in the countryside or use that angle grinder at home and mitigate their behaviour", he said.

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