'Extreme' London wildfire risk warning issued

London faces an "extreme" risk from wildfires this weekend, it has been warned.

With the capital forecast to experience further very hot and sunny weather in the coming days, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) raised the risk level from Saturday until at least Monday.

The LFB, which cited the prolonged dry conditions and the wind speed and direction as factors, is urging people to help prevent wildfires by extinguishing any cigarettes properly and not having barbecues in open spaces.

The brigade is also asking landowners and local councils to ensure they are managing land properly by creating fire breaks and cutting grass back, particularly near homes.

While wildfires can occur naturally, the majority of them are caused by human behaviour.

The brigade's assistant commissioner Tom Goodall said: "We want everyone across the city to enjoy the continuing heatwave but this must be done responsibly.

"The latest wildfire risk assessment indicates that if grassfires were to break out, the chance of them spreading more rapidly due to the weather conditions is greater.

"With so many of London's parks and open spaces close to properties and communities, it is vital the public take as much care as possible to prevent these fires starting in the first place.

"That means no disposable barbecues in parks and open spaces, taking rubbish home with you if no bins are available and ensuring your cigarettes are discarded properly.

"If you're having a barbecue at home, make sure it is on level ground and away from decking, fences, trees and balconies."

The LFB has tackled an increasing number of wildfires on grass and heathland in recent years, some of them devastating.

Most notably, 16 homes were destroyed by a fast-moving fire that swept across heathland in Wennington, east London, in July 2022.

In July 2025, residents in part of Dagenham had to temporarily leave their homes as flames ripped through eight hectares (20 acres) of nearby Beam Valley Country Park.

Due to the increased risk of fires like these during the current spell of hot weather, the LFB said it was "constantly monitoring" where its resources needed to be deployed so it was ready to respond in emergencies.

Specialist 4x4 terrain support vehicles with large water capacity are ready to be used, LFB said.

The wildfire risk is assessed by the National Hazards Partnership - a group of government agencies, advisory and research bodies.

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