UK Government Response to Wildfires: Temporary Disposable BBQ Ban and Military Deployment

As of mid-August 2026, the UK is facing one of its most severe wildfire seasons in recent memory, driven by prolonged drought, extreme heat, and dry conditions that have turned large parts of the country into a “tinderbox.” Nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales are officially in drought. Fire and rescue services have responded to hundreds of incidents this year, matching or exceeding the total for the whole of 2025 in some periods, with July alone recording the busiest month on record.

On 14 August 2026, Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out an emergency package of measures after visiting fire-hit areas, including Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where blazes gutted homes and left dozens needing hospital treatment. He described scenes of “carnage” and houses left “gutted, smouldering,” stating he had “never seen scenes like this in Britain.” Around 37 fires were smouldering across England and Wales at the time, with several declared major incidents.

Temporary Ban on Disposable Barbecues

A key immediate step is a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues across Great Britain. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade stated that these single-use grills “have been the cause of a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months” and “cannot be considered a safe product” under the current drought and heatwave conditions. They must not be made available for sale in stores or online for the time being. The measure will be kept under review and withdrawn once weather conditions improve sufficiently to reduce the risk.

Burnham urged the public not to light outdoor fires of any kind, warning: “Britain is a tinderbox right now. Setting a fire in any outdoor setting of any kind is a risk to other people’s homes, it’s a risk to other people’s lives, don’t do it, please don’t do it.” He noted it was probable that some of the ongoing fires were linked to disposable barbecues, though not all. Retailers are receiving guidance, building on an existing voluntary framework (agreed in 2023 between fire chiefs and the British Retail Consortium) under which many shops already suspend sales during extreme heat. Longer-term options, such as seasonal restrictions, are under consideration.

Fire services have repeatedly highlighted disposable barbecues as a major ignition source because they retain heat for hours after use and are often abandoned or poorly extinguished. Similar warnings have targeted discarded cigarettes and unattended open fires.

Military Support and Army Deployment

The government has also turned to the military. One hundred military personnel were deployed to support the major incident response to multiple wildfires in South Wales (including areas such as Blaenavon and Porth). Burnham said this support was “critically needed” because the volume of incidents was stretching the usual mutual-aid system between fire and rescue services. Troops are providing logistical and tactical assistance under the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) framework.

This follows an emergency COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on 12 August to coordinate the national response to extreme heat, wildfires, and drought.

Earlier in the summer, a major wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland (which began around mid-July) also prompted discussion of military involvement. The Scottish Government requested aerial water-bombing support. The UK Government offered Chinook helicopters for logistical and heavy-lift capacity plus personnel from standby battalions, but noted that the Ministry of Defence does not possess dedicated water-bombing aircraft based in the UK. Scottish ministers indicated they had the ground resources needed and that commercial helicopters were already in use; the specific water-bombing request could not be met.

Wider Measures and Context

Burnham announced plans for emergency financial support for fire services under pressure and said the government would commission firefighting planes (of the type used in Europe and the US) for national deployment. He plans a summit with fire services to assess permanent aerial capabilities. He also linked the crisis to climate change, stating the country must “face up” to it and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy.

Responsibility for fire and rescue is largely devolved, so responses differ across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with mutual aid and national resilience arrangements providing coordination. Public messaging continues to emphasise prevention: avoid outdoor fires and barbecues, extinguish cigarettes properly, and take litter home.

The combination of the disposable BBQ sales ban and the deployment of army personnel forms the most visible short-term government response to the 2026 wildfire crisis. Officials stress that conditions remain high-risk, particularly over weekends, and that longer-term investment in equipment, personnel, and resilience will be required as extreme weather becomes more frequent.