{"id":594328,"date":"2026-08-15T19:12:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/594328\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T19:12:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:12:10","slug":"alarmed-by-the-alarm-people-react-to-severe-alert-on-phones-over-uk-wildfires-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/594328\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarmed by the alarm: people react to \u2018severe alert\u2019 on phones over UK wildfires | Wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday at 7pm, Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Coffey was nine miles away from a nuclear power station when her phone made a loud, piercing and very worrying sound: it was a \u201csevere\u201d emergency alert<\/a>. \u201cWas expecting [a] much more specific alert, not a generic message on wildfires,\u201d the former Conservative cabinet minister said<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t alone in being alarmed by the alarm sent to phones in England and Wales. In the aftermath, thousands of social media users expressed their shock at alert. Some shared funny memes<\/a> and others lamented what they viewed as lack of government action<\/a> on decarbonisation. Academic John Ritzema called it<\/a> a \u201cmassive overreach\u201d and said the alert system should be \u201cbe for \u2018drop everything and prepare for something terrible\u2019 situations\u201d, something Coffey echoed, saying alerts should not become commonplace to avoid \u201cPeter cries wolf situations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Even broadcasters were taken by surprise. The alert sounded live on the BBC\u2019s The One Show, with host Ronan Kemp saying<\/a>: \u201cWe\u2019ve got some form of fire alarm going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Packham used the alert to plug a parliamentary petition<\/a> calling for a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks.<\/p>\n

The alert on Friday night came as Andy Burnham spent time in Stourbridge in the West Midlands earlier that day after homes were destroyed and residents were left injured<\/a> by a series of fires. The prime minister warned<\/a> that Britain \u201cis a tinderbox right now\u201d, with the public set for a \u201cdifficult weekend\u201d.<\/p>\n

It has been a record year of wildfires in England<\/a> and Wales: the number so far has passed the 1,017 recorded in 2025. Fire services declared 11 major incidents in a 24-hour period starting on Thursday.<\/p>\n

People have been urged not to light barbecues, campfires, fireworks or anything else that could spark a blaze while the wildfire risk remains high. They have also been urged to call 999 immediately if they spot a fire.<\/p>\n

The wildfires have also prompted calls within the Labour party to accelerate action against the climate crisis. Sadiq Khan warned Burnham not to \u201cslow down on net zero\u201d and said the heatwave and wildfires showed the need for action on climate change. The London mayor described the planet as being in a \u201cdeeply precarious position\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need reassurance from the government that they won\u2019t slow down on net zero or reducing our reliance on oil and gas and that they\u2019ll continue accelerating the green investment we need to get our country and planet back on track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Burnham announced a temporary national ban on the sale of disposable barbecues<\/a>, to be enforced immediately. The ban will remain in place as long as the risk of wildfires remains high.<\/p>\n

The military was called in to assist stretched emergency services in south Wales<\/a>. About 100 personnel were deployed, with about 100 more due to arrive on Friday evening, distributing water and providing logistical support.<\/p>\n

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Soldiers digging out fire breaks in south Wales. Photograph: Cpl Christian P Delice\/MoD Crown copyright\/PA<\/p>\n

Burnham also announced \u00a365m of extra \u2060funding for \u2060farmers \u200bhit by a drought. He said on X: \u201cToday we\u2019re putting \u00a365m more into \u2060supporting farmers through this drought and preparing \u200bfor the \u200csummers ahead. They\u2019re \u200con the frontline of a \u200cchanging climate and they shouldn\u2019t be left to face it alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to grow our own food is \u200cnational security. I\u2019ll treat it that way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s cereal harvest \u200bis on track to be \u200bthe \u200cworst since comparable \u200brecords \u200bbegan in 1984, according to an analysis published earlier this month.<\/p>\n