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Cambridgeshire Fire & Resue Service

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Peat fires pressure Cambridgeshire firefighters

29/07/2026

Lorry fireFirefighters have continued to be pushed by punishing conditions as the hot summer weather persists.

Following the busy weekend where crews battled the conditions at several fires, firefighters continued to be pushed by further incidents, including a significant fire closing the A1 and a peat fire at a nature reserve.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Stuart Smith said: “Our crews have been worked extremely hard by the conditions over the last few days. It is common to see an increase in fires during spells of hot weather, and we do plan for this. However, the temperatures we’ve experienced, for the length of time we have, make the conditions very tough.”

From Friday to Monday, we attended more than 120 incidents, significantly higher than our three-year average of 94. More than half of these were various fires in the open, which is triple the three-year average.

Peat fires have caused a significant issue for crews, as two fires have continued to burn over several days.

Stuart continued: “Peat fires present significant challenges for us, as they are often unseen, being predominantly underground. It makes not only finding and containing the fire extremely difficult, but the heat on the floor makes it very dangerous for firefighters to tackle the fire. Not only this, but water supplies are also often an issue, meaning we have to commit several fire engines to ensure we have enough.

“Our crews have been maintaining regular presence at two separate peat fires, in Whittlesey and Holme Fen. These have been especially gruelling due to the amount of incidents crews are attending and the severe heat.”

As the forecast predicts continued high temperatures for the rest of the week at least, residents are urged to stay fire safe by following our top tips.

Stuart added: “We know during the school summer holidays, especially when the weather is hot like this, people want to make the most of it. We just want to highlight that everyone can do this safely just by thinking beforehand and following a few of our fire safety tips.

“Having a BBQ is a great way to get together with family and friends, but they can easily lead to a fire if people don’t follow some basic safety tips. Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the BBQ away from fencing, buildings and garden furniture, keeping a bucket of water close by, and only disposing of the charcoal ashes once completely cooled. Also dispose of glass bottles in the right bins, never leave them on the ground as they can reflect the sun’s rays and cause a fire.

“We would also advise residents to avoid lighting bonfires and garden fires. They can quickly get out of hand and spread to nearby buildings, fences and vegetation, which can cause significant damage and put people at risk, particularly as everything is so dry at the moment as we’ve had little rain. We would always recommend using the local waste collection service or visiting local recycling centres instead for garden waste.”

If you are planning to have a BBQ:

  • Use barbeques on a hard, flat surface away from grass, shrubs or fencing
  • Put disposable barbeques on bricks, do not place directly on grass
  • Only dispose of the ashes when completely cool.

Below are some useful safety tips to consider:

  • Dispose of garden waste using either a local waste pick up service, or take it to a local recycling centre. Do not light a bonfire!
  • Ensure cigarettes are completely out
  • Do not leave glass bottles lying on the ground – the sun’s rays reflect through the glass and can start a fire
  • Move any mirrors away from windowsills.
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