London's burning? UK seeks to snuff out rising wildfire threat

(Context, 30 Jun 2023) Extreme heat is not just fuelling wildfires in Canada and southern Europe but raising the risk in nations like Britain and Sweden.

While record wildfires rage in Canada and southern European hotspots such as Spain brace for the worst, a rather unexpected location is also preparing for the ever-growing threat: London.

Britain's capital was rocked last July when hundreds of fires broke out on a single day following record temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) - in what London's fire service called its busiest day since the Second World War.

There were no deaths but more than 40 houses and shops were destroyed in different parts of London after the heat created the conditions for several major grass fires that spread to nearby buildings.

Thomas Smith, a wildfires expert at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said the fires last year represented a "significant shift" in wildfire risk for Britain.

"That was a shock," the environmental scientist said at an event on wildfires and heatwaves in London at the university this week. "It was the first time people had lost their property, their homes, in the UK - as far as we are aware."

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Context, 30 Jun 2023: London's burning? UK seeks to snuff out rising wildfire threat