Grassland fires: April 2018 to March 2019

Main points

Fires

• The Welsh Fire and Rescue Authorities attended 4,015 grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2018-19, almost double the number in 2017-18.
• The number of grassland fires is prone to fluctuation and the 2018-19 figure is the highest since 2011-12.
• There were almost 4 times as many primary grassland fires in 2018-19 as in 2017-18, up from 68 to 253.
• Numbers of secondary grassland fires increased by 86% in 2018-19 (compared with 2017-18).
• In 2018-19, around 7 in 10 fires on grassland, woodland and crops were started deliberately.
• 46% of grassland fires in 2018-19 occurred in July 2018, almost 9 times as many as in July 2017. Met Office weather data shows July 2018 saw around 40% more hours of sunshine and around half the rainfall, compared with July 2017.
• More than half the number of grassland fires in 2018-19 occurred in South Wales (52%); 32% were in Mid and West Wales and 16% were in North Wales.

Casualties

• There were 2 non-fatal casualties from grassland, woodland and crop fires in Wales in 2018 19.
• The last fatality resulting from a grassland fire occurred in 2007-08.

Damage

• In 2018-19, more than half of grassland, woodland and crop fires damaged an area less than 20 square metres.
• Almost a fifth damaged an area of more than 200 square metres.

Note

Grassland fire data are published in a supplementary report to the Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics produced in August 2019.