Home / Environment / UK Experiences First 'Mega Fire' as Climate Change Fuels Unprecedented Blazes
UK Experiences First 'Mega Fire' as Climate Change Fuels Unprecedented Blazes
16 Oct
Summary
- UK hit by its first 'mega fire' in 2025, burning over 11,000 hectares
- Experts warn these extreme fire seasons are likely to become more common
- Hot, dry conditions due to climate change create abundant dry fuel for fires
In 2025, the UK faced a troubling new reality as it experienced its first-ever 'mega fire' – a blaze that burned over 10,000 hectares of land. The devastating wildfire, which occurred in the Scottish Highlands region of Carrbridge and Dava Moor, scorched more than 11,000 hectares (42.5 square miles) of forest and peatland, killing thousands of animals in its path.
Experts say this mega fire is a harbinger of things to come, as climate change drives hotter, drier conditions that create the perfect conditions for these extreme blazes to spread rapidly. Indeed, 2025 has already seen the UK's worst fire season on record, with nearly 47,000 hectares of land burned so far – far surpassing the previous record of 28,100 hectares in 2019.
According to fire experts, the abnormally hot and dry spring this year desiccated the country's plant life, leaving an abundance of dry, flammable fuel that allowed the Carrbridge and Dava Moor fire to spread so quickly and extensively. Scientists warn that as climate change brings more frequent and intense droughts and heatwaves, these kinds of mega fires are likely to become the new normal in the UK, putting more homes and lives at risk.
