Wildfire near Sizewell B forces hundreds to evacuate
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- Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service evacuated hundreds and declared a major incident after a wildfire spread over more than 80 hectares (200 acres) near the Sizewell B nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast, with at least 12 fire crews remaining overnight.
- Jon Lacey, Suffolk's chief fire officer, said the fire was stabilising Thursday night thanks to an unexpected wind change and helicopter water drops; EDF, which operates Sizewell B, said the wildfire was not affecting plant operations and posed no danger.
- Firefighters responded to 393 wildfires across England and Wales in July — the busiest month on record — according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, whose chair Phil Garrigan said wildfires are "no longer isolated or seasonal events" but a recurring, growing risk.
- Natural Resources Wales declared a drought across all of Wales, on course for its driest July in nearly 200 years of records, a day after half of England — including East Anglia — was officially declared in drought.
- The RSPB's Minsmere nature reserve suffered "absolutely devastating" damage to heathland habitat home to nightjars, nightingales and Dartford warblers, with RSPB area manager Adam Rowlands describing seeing a "20ft fireball" and "nightjars flying away from the fireball."
- The Reform-led Suffolk county council voted a fortnight ago to rescind its 2019 climate emergency declaration and remove climate emergency references from council policies, strategies and communications "where appropriate."
- The UK Health Security Agency said Thursday that England was on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths this summer, with the prime minister stating the blaze is "under close monitoring."
Why it matters: July became the UK's busiest wildfire month on record (393 incidents) just as drought was declared across half of England and all of Wales — even as Suffolk's Reform-led council voted to drop its 2019 climate emergency declaration, a direct contradiction that fire chiefs publicly flagged.
