{"id":70939,"date":"2026-08-14T16:28:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=70939"},"modified":"2026-08-14T16:28:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:28:22","slug":"wildfires-how-can-you-stay-safe-protect-countryside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wildfires-how-can-you-stay-safe-protect-countryside\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildfires: How can you stay safe and protect the countryside?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This summer has brought some of our hottest days on record, increasing the risk of wildfires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most wildfires in the UK are caused by human activity \u2013 from littering to leaving a campfire unattended. One small spark can quickly spread into a blaze that threatens the countryside, habitats, homes, and infrastructure, particularly during warm, dry weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>So, how can you stay safe this summer?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do\u00a0<strong>not light fires<\/strong>\u00a0in the countryside or other open spaces, including parks,\u00a0moorland\u00a0and wooded areas.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only use\u00a0<strong>barbecues in designated areas<\/strong>\u00a0where they are\u00a0permitted.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Never leave a hot barbecue unattended.\u00a0<\/strong>Ensure your barbecue is fully put out and make sure ashes are cold before disposing of it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure\u00a0<strong>smoking materials are fully stubbed out<\/strong>\u00a0and disposed of carefully.\u00a0Never throw cigarette ends from vehicles.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take all\u00a0rubbish\u00a0home with you,\u00a0especially\u00a0<strong>glass bottles<\/strong>, which can focus the sun\u2019s rays and start a fire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow\u00a0<strong>local guidance and signage<\/strong>, particularly during periods of heightened wildfire risk when access restrictions may be in place.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>If you see a fire outdoors what should you do?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Move to a\u00a0<strong>safe location<\/strong>\u00a0away from the fire.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Call 999\u00a0immediately<\/strong>,\u00a0do not assume someone else has already reported it.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wait at a\u00a0<strong>safe, agreed location<\/strong>\u00a0if requested and provide emergency services with further details.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do not\u00a0attempt\u00a0to tackle the fire yourself.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do not travel to the area of a wildfire<\/strong>, as this may slow the emergency response.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Always\u00a0<strong>follow the advice\u00a0<\/strong>of emergency services and local authorities, including any instruction to evacuate or stay indoors with windows closed.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":70940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dcc-homepage"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":70940,"title":"Resizing pics for News Centre (80)","alt":"Three fire engines attending a wildfire call on moorland.","description":"","caption":"","url":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-400x270.jpg","thumbnail_width":400,"thumbnail_height":270,"medium":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-600x338.jpg","medium_width":600,"medium_height":338,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-768x432.jpg","medium_large_width":768,"medium_large_height":432,"large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-800x450.jpg","large_width":800,"large_height":450,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80.jpg","1536x1536_width":1200,"1536x1536_height":675,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80.jpg","2048x2048_width":1200,"2048x2048_height":675,"banner-block":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-440x440.jpg","banner-block_width":440,"banner-block_height":440,"small-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-640x360.jpg","small-banner_width":640,"small-banner_height":360,"medium-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-1024x576.jpg","medium-banner_width":1024,"medium-banner_height":576,"small-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-640x480.jpg","small-thumb_width":640,"small-thumb_height":480,"medium-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-320x240.jpg","medium-thumb_width":320,"medium-thumb_height":240,"large-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-420x315.jpg","large-thumb_width":420,"large-thumb_height":315,"slideshow-preview":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-300x200.jpg","slideshow-preview_width":300,"slideshow-preview_height":200,"slideshow":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-800x533.jpg","slideshow_width":800,"slideshow_height":533,"thumbnail_featured":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-770x433.jpg","thumbnail_featured_width":770,"thumbnail_featured_height":433,"thumbnail_sidebar":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/08\/Resizing-pics-for-News-Centre-80-200x135.jpg","thumbnail_sidebar_width":200,"thumbnail_sidebar_height":135}},"category_priority":false,"cslink":"","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2028-08-14 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