England Is Drying Out and Burning — Here's What's Going On
A firefighters' union in the UK warned on 10 August 2026 that firefighters are under huge pressure because of an "unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires." Parts of the country were getting ready for a fifth heatwave of the year. Nearly three-quarters of England is officially in a drought, and emergency services are stretched thin trying to deal with several major incidents at the same time.
A drought happens when there is not enough rain for a long time, leaving land dry and water supplies low. A government group called the National Drought Group reported on Monday that 71.3% of England is going through a "flash drought" — meaning it came on fast because of low rainfall and high heat. Tony Grayling, who leads the group, said things would keep getting worse until there was a lot of steady rain. About 45 million people live in a drought area in England, and more than 27 million are under water use restrictions, which means rules limiting things like watering gardens or filling pools.
England had its driest July ever recorded in 2026, in records going back to 1836. Only 6.5mm of rain fell — about 10% of what normally falls in July. Seven areas of England were officially declared to be in drought in late July after record low rainfall and very high temperatures. Essex and Suffolk Water announced temporary bans on non-essential water use starting 3 August 2026. Between the start of 2026 and early August, 134 incidents caused by drought and dry weather were recorded in England. The National Drought Group had warned as early as October 2025 that England needed to prepare for a drought in 2026 unless there was heavy rain in the autumn.
The wildfires are adding up. More than 120 firefighters kept working on a fire in the New Forest national park in Hampshire that started on Sunday. Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service declared a major incident on Sunday because of two large fires in woodland near Mansfield. A major incident declaration means the local fire service cannot handle the situation on its own and needs extra help.
London's numbers are especially striking. Emergency calls to the London fire brigade went up by almost a third this summer because of more wildfires and flooding, according to an internal briefing. Between 1 April and 9 July 2026, the brigade received 75,652 emergency calls — 31% more than the average for the previous five years. Incidents rose by nearly a quarter to 42,943. London firefighters responded to 392 wildfires and 68 water rescues during that same period.
Steve Wright, the head of the firefighters' union (the FBU), said having enough properly equipped firefighters to handle these environmental threats was a "national priority." This reflects a tension that has been building for a while over whether the fire service has enough staff and money. At the FBU's 2025 conference, Wright told employers that if they want firefighters to take on extra duties, they must pay them, train them, and set it up nationally. He also said the future of the fire service should be built on growth, resilience, and investment — not a "dangerous race to the bottom." Buckinghamshire firefighters separately called for investment in the fire service instead of cuts.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said the dry conditions were having a "significant impact" on communities, farmers, and businesses. They said the government was focused on both responding right now and preparing for the long term. That approach echoes what the National Drought Group said last October, when it warned that only heavy autumn rain would prevent a long drought. The rain did not come, and now the consequences are playing out across England's fire grounds and water systems.
The bigger picture is that several problems are all piling on top of each other. A fast-moving drought, wave after wave of heat, and a fire service that was already short on resources are all hitting at once. The union's call to treat firefighting capacity as a "national priority" puts its view of the workforce directly alongside the government's stated focus on both immediate response and long-term preparation. Whether the current number of firefighters and amount of equipment can keep up with the demand from multiple wildfires at once, major incident declarations, and a 31% jump in London call volumes is the question that will shape the rest of the summer. Grayling said conditions will last until there is "significant and sustained rainfall," and autumn — the earliest time when water systems could realistically start to recover — is still weeks away.
