Wildfires: Blaenau Gwent 'most at-risk county' in Wales as temperatures soar

  • ITV Wales' Rural Affairs Correspondent, Hannah Thomas, reports from Powys.

Blaenau Gwent, Gwynedd and Torfaen are the areas of Wales most at risk from wildfires but overall risk fell year-on-year, according to new research.

It comes as ITV Wales has been with firefighters near Brecon who are looking to locate water sources and hydrants to help tackle fires in hard to reach areas.

The Matthews family farm near Brecon, ripped through fire in the summer of 2022 and it was difficult to put out.Farmer Andy Matthews said: "It was pretty catastrophic. It sort of raced through four or five fields of ripe crop. We had seven or eight fire engines in attendance, which was a nightmare for everyone really.

Farmer Andy Matthews said that the fire was pretty catastrophic. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

"It was really unlucky with the weather and the circumstances. It spread like wildfire. Once they'd used the water inside the engines, they really struggled to fill them back up again.

"They had to rely on bowsers coming from 50 miles away to try and fill them up, which was frustrating. It's devastating to be honest watching all your hard work for the year go up in smoke.""So this is the closest water supply - the River Usk - to the farm."

Jonathan Hodges from Fire and Rescue Service said: "When there's a fire we have to move operational appliances to cover other areas." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Jonathan Hodges from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "We know that we can use this [extra water] now in the early stages of a fire.""The problem we have with wildfires. We could get several on the same day. Because Wales - and particularly the county of Powys - is so rural, it can have a huge drain on resources in the fact that we have to effectively have the fire service working like a chessboard. When there's a fire we have to move operational appliances to cover other areas. And this in itself is a challenge."

Antoine Halff said: "The risk of wildfire remains high in Wales and elsewhere." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Antoine Halff, Co-Founder and Chief Analyst of Kayrros, the environmental intelligence company that conducted the research, said: "The risk of wildfire remains high in Wales and elsewhere, and detecting risk via satellite insights could help to prevent unfavourable outcomes. 

"Wildfires cause enormous damage to human communities, to buildings and infrastructure, and to ecosystems,’ he said. ‘The financial cost alone is eye-watering.

The wild fire damaged Adam's farm in Brecon. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

"Though the risk of fires has fallen across Wales, they are, for the most part, becoming more frequent and more intense when they break out.

"Risk at Blaenau Gwent remains elevated, and risk in the few other top five is still too high.

"We at Kayrros are working hard to gather, process and analyse data from satellites and provide the resulting insights to those on the ground. They can then take the necessary steps to avoid costly damage."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...