In a gov.uk statement, the Government said people across England and Wales would receive an Emergency Alert on their phones from around 19:00, issued on a rolling basis because wildfire risk remained very high. The message is intended to change behaviour immediately. Recipients are being told not to light anything that could start a fire, including barbecues, campfires and fireworks, and to report any fire without delay by calling 999.
The announcement follows major incidents across several areas, with fire and rescue services still managing the effects of prolonged dry and hot conditions. First Secretary Louise Haigh said the step amounted to the widest use of the UK Emergency Alerts system for an active incident, placing the measure well beyond routine public information. The Prime Minister also visited Stourbridge to meet residents affected by fire damage and to thank firefighters, emergency responders and local resilience partners. According to the Government, the decision followed a COBR meeting earlier in the week, indicating that the response is being directed at central-government level as well as locally.
The immediate package combines financial support and operational reinforcement. Ministers said emergency funding would be made available to the fire and rescue services facing the heaviest pressures, while military assistance has been activated in South Wales, where around 100 personnel have already been deployed to support response and recovery. A further 100 members of the Armed Forces were due to deploy later the same evening. In practical terms, that support is intended to add capacity in areas where local services are already committed to fire control, evacuation support and the first stages of clean-up.
The clearest regulatory step is a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of disposable barbecues. Retailers have been told to remove the products from sale immediately, and ministers said the restriction would remain under review but stay in force while the heightened risk continues. That sales ban sits alongside wider public-safety advice rather than replacing it. The Government's guidance still covers all common ignition sources and says household barbecues should never be left unattended, smoking materials must be disposed of carefully, glass litter should be removed, and any sign of fire should be reported at once.
Support for affected residents and firms is being framed through existing recovery routes as well as ministerial pressure on the private sector. The Government said insurers should process claims as quickly as possible so that households and businesses do not face avoidable delay after fire damage. For councils in the hardest-hit areas, ministers said the Bellwin Scheme remains available to meet exceptional recovery costs. That gives local authorities a route to seek help with immediate spending pressures arising from the emergency, with the Government indicating that requests will be considered quickly.
The statement also points to a longer policy response. Later this year, ministers plan to convene a national wildfire summit with fire chiefs, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Fire Brigades Union and other organisations to review preparedness and consider whether further national capability is required for increasingly severe weather events. That work is being linked to an existing £97 million programme for fire service training and specialist equipment. Angela Rayner said several firefighters had been taken to hospital after recent incidents, reinforcing the case for treating wildfire resilience as a continuing public-protection issue rather than a short seasonal pressure.
Local government is also being asked to use powers already available in statute. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to councils in England to remind them that Public Spaces Protection Orders can be used to restrict activities such as barbecues, campfires and other open flames in high-risk areas. Taken together, the measures show a layered response: a direct warning to the public, a temporary product restriction, extra support for frontline services, cost-recovery routes for councils and a clearer expectation that local authorities will intervene where local conditions require it. The Government said it would continue working with councils, emergency services and the devolved administrations as conditions develop.