A severe wildfire warning has been issued across Dartmoor National Park and surrounding dry moorlands, led by the Dartmoor National Park Authority and Yelverton Fire Station amid near-drought weather conditions.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and local emergency services urge the public to ban disposable barbecues and open fires immediately to protect local ecosystems, livestock, and rural infrastructure.
- Urgent Restrictions: Dartmoor National Park Authority and fire services have banned all open fires, campfires, and disposable barbecues on parched grasslands to prevent catastrophic blazes.
- Infrastructure Risk: Emergency services warn that tinder-dry conditions and wind gusts threaten rural properties, local farms, and residential communities across West Devon and Plymouth.
- Emergency Protocol: Anyone spotting a wildfire must dial 999 immediately with precise location details to assist the national park protection teams.
Why is the wildfire risk so critical on Dartmoor right now?
Despite the recent heatwave passing, the region remains under an exceptionally high wildfire risk due to prolonged dry weather creating tinder-dry conditions. Firefighters have noted a sharp surge in visitors using disposable barbecues on the parched grassland of the former World War Two Harrabeer Airfield at Yelverton.
Authorities emphasize that even a minor breeze or a small spark can cause flames to develop at frightening speeds. Bonfires pose an equally severe hazard; rising embers can travel through the air and ignite surrounding dry vegetation within seconds.
How are local communities, farms, and emergency services reacting?
The economic and structural toll of recent fires has stretched emergency resources across West Devon and Plymouth. During recent heatwaves, multi-agency fire crews battled severe blazes, including a major incident near Lifton where a large taskforce was required to save a residential farmhouse, crops, and livestock from fast-moving flames that destroyed a tractor and trailer.
Local authorities note that discarded glass bottles left in blazing sunshine can act as magnifying glasses, triggering spontaneous fires.
Consequently, park rangers and the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council are strictly enforcing preventative measures under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, urging the public to take glass bottles home and leave camping stoves at a distance.
What are officials saying about the crisis?
“Please remember Dartmoor National Park is a large area and this extends to the moorland in Yelverton. We are seeing a large increase in the amount of barbecues being used on the airfield…
Please don’t light bonfires during this continuing dry spell; the embers from these can rise up into the air and land on tinder-dry ground, igniting the surrounding area in seconds.” Yelverton Fire Station Spokesperson
A representative for the Dartmoor National Park Authority added: “With the exceptionally dry weather, the risk of a wildfire on Dartmoor remains high.
Open fires are not permitted within the National Park, and we’re asking all visitors to please leave BBQs and camping stoves at home. Even a small spark can cause a wildfire that puts local communities, livestock and wildlife at risk.”
