Climate change and arson: The deadly cocktail leaving Wales' hillsides scorched
If you’ve noticed a rise in wildfire alerts across South Wales, whether it has been through social media or news reports — you’re not imagining it.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service says that there has been a clear increase in the number of wildfires over recent years and what we’re seeing is not “normal”. From January 1 to April 10, 2024, there were 34 wildfires. In the same time period in 2025, there have already been 445 wildfires.
Head of Operations for South Wales Fire Service Matthew Jones said: “A significant large portion of them will be deliberate. While a number of them will be accidental, it will be very small in comparison to deliberate fires we often see.”
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Yet this is not the only factor. Wales has also just experienced its fourth driest March on record, following 1944, 1997, and 2011, with just 23.9mm of rainfall across the month, and fire rescue chiefs have also hinted that this may not just be a coincidence.
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Is there a link to climate change?
South Wales Fire Service’s wildfire practical advisor, David Bound said: “There probably is a direct link between climate change and the severity of the fires we’re attending. But as Matt has alluded, we are pretty confident in the causation of a lot of our fires being deliberate.”
When asked what the motive could be for people doing this, he said: “I’m not really sure I have the exact answer to be honest with you.
“Psychological is probably one of them, but it is a generational problem within the areas which we sort of live in south Wales. The demographics tend to lend themselves to generations over time, like when fires are within communities, especially on mountain sides. That, to a certain extent, has gone away. But it is still reminiscent within the south Wales valleys.”
While the line between how climate change could be worsening a string of deliberate fires is hard to gauge, the topic remains at the tip of people’s tongues not just in Wales, but also the rest of the UK.
Sam Ward, Head of Climate Cymru also said following a wildfire that lasted for four days across Cwm Rheidol in Ceredigion: “This fire is a symptom of a world that’s heating far too fast. People are right to be concerned.
“We’re seeing not just bad luck or a one-off anomaly — it’s climate change. Rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells, and shifting weather patterns are turning our landscapes into tinderboxes. The climate crisis is here, and it’s burning across our hills.”
A new study led by the University of Cambridge has also revealed that as our springs and summers get hotter and drier, the UK wildfire season is being “stretched and intensified.”
Dr Adam Pellegrini in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, senior author of the study said: “We found that peatland fires are responsible for a disproportionately large amount of the carbon emissions caused by UK wildfires, which we project will increase even more with climate change.”
Rare tactics being used to deal with fires in South Wales
In South Wales, the fire service uses advanced tactics to manage the growing number of wildfires, including a method called tactical burning. This involves setting controlled fires to burn away dry grass and vegetation before the main wildfire reaches it.
By removing this fuel, they create a barrier that helps stop the wildfire from spreading. It’s a highly skilled process that must be carefully planned and carried out by trained firefighters to keep it safe and under control.
David said: “We are one of the best trained services in the UK with regards to wildfire. Our wildfire response is the best in the UK. We are one the only fire services who employ tactical burning.
“Our tactics are far above what other services are currently utilising which allows us to reduce the amount of resources required to extinguish fires. So as a member of the public you don’t need to worry if you see fires on the background, we will always be here to provide that response to this.”
Part of the concern from the public stems from concerns around how the impact of fires will affect people’s health, due to the exposure to smoke and pollutants like PM2.5.
Discussing these risks, David noted: “There are links to respiratory illnesses through the inhalation of smoke”, to which Matt added “One of the partners we work really closely with is Public Health Wales, so we have daily meetings with them and our partners of Natural Resources Wales, as well as the police to ensure our resources are aligned and we have the right messaging.”
He continued: “We would ask the public as well to keep an eye on our social media feeds because there’s lots of updates on the incidents we’re attending.”
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