Appliances tackling the Dunwich Heath blaze were reduced overnight from 14 to eight after Suffolk Fire and Rescue reported “positive firefighting action” and the creation of further firebreaks on Friday.
In a Saturday update, the service urged people to avoid the area over the weekend and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles, adding that local roads and footpaths remain closed. Crews are expected to remain on the scene for the next two or three days.
National Trust launches emergency appeal
The National Trust began an emergency fundraising drive on Friday after the wildfire left the landscape “unrecognisable”. Director-general Hilary McGrady described the “heartbreaking” loss of an important habitat that is home to rare species.
The charity said Dunwich Heath supports wildlife including nightjars, skylarks and the rare Dartford warbler, along with adders, lizards, slow worms and butterflies such as the rare silver-studded blue. Lowland heath is one of the UK’s rarest habitats, and an estimated 92% of it has been lost in England over the last 120 years.
In a statement on Friday, Hilary McGrady said: “We are looking at total devastation of a beloved and important landscape. We’ve lost precious habitats, wildlife, trees, and a place where people have made memories over generations. It’s heartbreaking. But together we can and will restore Dunwich and, crucially, make it more resilient and better adapted for the climate we’re facing now, and the climate we’ll be facing in future. We’re working hard to tackle climate change and prepare for more of it, but there’s more hard work to be done. We can’t do it alone. We’re a charity that relies on public support in so many ways. If you can donate, however much, please don’t hesitate. Your money will go directly to the restoration of Dunwich, to regrow habitats and homes for wildlife, build more resilience into the landscape, and return this iconic place to the nation.”
Wider wildfire response
Suffolk Fire and Rescue said the situation was “dynamic and potentially changeable”. Footage from the scene showed the once grassy coastal area, known for its carpet of purple heather, reduced to a charred, barren landscape still smouldering.
Crews continued to battle the blaze on Friday, and evacuated residents and holidaymakers were given a short window to collect essential belongings under police escort.
Firefighters across the country have been tackling similar but smaller fires. More than 20 fire services have responded to fires amid hot and dry conditions that have left half of England and all of Wales in drought.
Crews in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, London, North Wales, Yorkshire, County Durham and Darlington, Berkshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Humberside, Dorset and Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Merseyside, West Sussex, Surrey and Norfolk have all reported dealing with fires in the open.
On Tuesday, the National Fire Chiefs Council said more than 200 wildfires had been reported in England and Wales in less than two weeks, and wildfire risk remained “elevated”.
