Lives 'will be lost' unless UK does more to combat wildfires, committee chairwoman says

The UK Climate Change Committee chairwoman, Baroness Brown, warned that lives will be lost unless more action is taken to combat the rising risk of wildfires, following a record summer with 1,350 wildfires in England and Wales. She emphasized that the government has not done enough despite warnings since 2012 about more frequent fires due to warmer, drier conditions caused by global warming, and despite nearly £100 million invested in resilience efforts. Wildfires have destroyed homes in Stourbridge, Gloucestershire, and the Cairngorms, with families like the Shiralkars losing their house, highlighting the need for better education, planning, and early warning systems.