As of 28 July 2026, fire and rescue services in England and Wales had responded to 706 wildfires so far in the year (208 of them between 16–28 July alone), according to National Resilience data reported by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). https://nfcc.org.uk/fire-chiefs-warn-wildfire-risk-remains-elevated-with-more-than-200-wildfires-recorded-in-last-fortnight/

No comprehensive official total for the number of wildfires in Scotland in 2026 is publicly available yet (as of early August 2026), unlike the National Resilience/NFCC figure of 706 for England and Wales as of 28 July.

For context, 2025 was a record year in Scotland with 241 wildfire incidents recorded by SFRS (including major ones around Carrbridge/Dava Moor).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_Kingdom_wildfires

Yet in 2026, we have seen saturation coverage of two wildfires in Scotland (Cairngorm and Arthur’s Seat), with repeated accusation of Scottish Government delays and lack of aircraft, but only limited coverage of these 700 plus wildfires in England and in Wales. It took a fire near a nuclear power station in Suffolk to generate much national media coverage.

As with ferries, drug deaths and A&E waiting times, wildfires have become the latest scare with which to attack the SNP in government – media amplification of real but lesser problems in cohort with the opposition parties and the resultant creation of a reality divorced from lived experience.