Fire services: ‘Save 999 calls for emergencies – not dobbing in next door’s BBQ’

FILE PHOTO: People walk on parched grassland near a wildfire warning public information notice, after Britain???s Environment Agency declared over seventy per cent of England to be in drought, and with the fifth heatwave of the year expected this week, Richmond Park, London, Britain, August 11, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Fire services have urged people not to save 999 calls for genuine emergencies following the Government’s wildfires alert.

Millions of phones blasted into life yesterday evening with the alarm warning people not to light anything which could spark a wildfire, including barbecues and garden incinerators.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also urged people not to light fires in ‘tinderbox’ Britain after visiting Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where a wildfire spread across more than 500 acres and destroyed 19 homes earlier this week.

In the town, he announced a temporary ban on disposable barbecues, and he later urged home cooks and gardeners to ‘take extra care’ by not lighting any fires ‘in gardens, the countryside or other open spaces, including parks, moorland and wooded areas’.

Mr Burnham told members of the public to take the warning ‘seriously’ and said it was triggered at the request of firefighters.

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Surrey Fire & Rescue Service was among those experiencing a ‘high volume’ of 999 calls.

In a statement on X, the service said: ‘Please only call 999 if there is an emergency or a fire producing significant smoke.

‘We understand residents may be concerned, but we are unable to respond to reports of neighbours having BBQs, bonfires or campfires in their gardens unless there is an emergency.’

Firefighters tackle the blaze in Manor Fields Park, Sheffield at 6pm, August 13, 2026. // Firefighters struggled to control a wildfire which broke out in a park in Sheffield. Paul Atkin, 44, a photographer, was driving along the M1 motorway when he saw the smoke coming from Manor Fields Park, Sheffield at around 6pm Yesterday. Paul said: "I literally just saw the smoke from the M1 motorway in South Yorkshire. I quickly got my camera out of the car and I headed towards the smoke. "I saw the local community out observing the fire. It was spreading rapidly. "It was quite extensive and they were struggling to bring it under control. You had fire fighters battling at one side and then fire fighters battling at the other. "They then told the general public to evacuate because it was out of control. I heard that it was the second fire in that area this week. Paul explained he was there for an hour but the fire had started at around 4pm on Thursday. Photo released 14/08/2026
STOURBRIDGE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: An aerial view of the remains of a home on Brunswick Gate following a huge fire in Stourbridge on August 14, 2026 in Stourbridge, England. During the UK's hottest day of the year, with temperatures soaring to 38.1??C, an extensive wildfire has spread to at least six homes on the edge of the golf course in Stourbridge prompting mass evacuations and leaving two people suffering from heat and smoke inhalation. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)
Investigations underway following a fire on Gorleston Road, in Highters Heath, Birmingham, which resulted in a number of homes and gardens being damaged. August 14, 2026. // A row of six homes has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack after a fire started in a park and spread to a residential street. Emergency services were called to Gorleston Road, in Highters Heath, Birmingham, after the blaze broke out at 5.20pm yesterday (Thurs). The fire began in a popular children's park nearby before the flames quickly spread across grassland and tore through neighbouring homes. Six properties were devastated and around 50 residents had to be evacuated during the terrifying blaze. Two patients were taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and two further patients were discharged at the scene. Jessica Rowley, who lives in Australia, said she was "devastated" to find her parents' house had been destroyed. Photo released 14/08/2026 Photo released 14/08/2026
epa13169603 A wildfire alert issued by the UK Government seen on a mobile phone screen in Birmingham, Britain, 14 August 2026. Millions of citizens were sent the alert in England and Wales warning against any activity that could potentially start a fire following a long spell of dry, hot weather. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

The service said it supported the Government’s message and advised against bonfires, fireworks, campfires or disposable barbecues in the dry conditions.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it appreciated the public’s ‘vigilance’, but in a statement on Facebook asked people to call 999 only if there is ‘a genuine emergency or an immediate risk to life, property or the environment’.

Four 14-year-old boys were bailed on Friday after being arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire was set on a mountain near Pleasant Heights in Porth, South Wales Police said.

Friday was provisionally a record-breaking 10th day in 2026 where temperatures have exceeded 35C or more, according to the Met Office.

Frittenden, near Ashford in Kent, was among the hottest places, where temperatures reached 35.3C.

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Original source Fire services: ‘Save 999 calls for emergencies – not dobbing in next door’s BBQ’

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