Wildfire Concerns Highlighted After Walpole Park Incident

Timely arrival of garden volunteer helps limit damage

The fire takes hold on the edge of Walpole Park. Picture: John Sears

August 20, 2025

Concerns about the possibility of wildfires in the area have been raised following another incident in Ealing recently.

This Friday evening (15 August) vegetation caught fire in Walpole Park at around 7:39pm. Around 50 people called London Fire Brigade (LFB) about the bushes and a tree being alight and three fire engines were sent from Southall, Ealing and Chiswick Fire stations.

Local resident John Sears was cycling past at the time with his wife. Fortunately, as she was a garden volunteer for Pitzhanger Manor, she was able to assist the fire fighters in opening the gates enabling them to safely extinguish the fire in just over twenty minutes.

Although no cause for the blaze has been confirmed, it comes at a time when a number of fires have started across London due to the extended period of hot dry weather including one a few days early on the Lord Halsbury Memorial Playing Fields in Northolt.

Last week researchers at Imperial College London warned that the capital was facing a growing threat from an emerging phenomenon called “firewaves” as temperatures rise due to climate change.

Professor Guillermo Rain said, “Climate change is bringing more heatwaves and longer dry spells. These conditions dry out fuels and increase the risk of wildfires. That risk is much greater now than it was even a decade ago.”

Firefighters tackle the fire in Walpole Park. Picture: John Sears

LFB says it have responded to 64 wildfires this summer compared to just 19 five years ago, representing a 237 per cent increase. It adds that most of these fires are started by members of the public, whether deliberately or accidentally.

Chair of the London Assembly Fire Committee, Zack Polanski, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), “With drier springs and record-breaking hot summers becoming the new normal, every increase in temperature pushes wildfires closer to our doorsteps, threatening our homes and our city’s green spaces.

“The London Fire Brigade and National Fire Chiefs Council have both warned of a heightened risk of wildfires this year, so these figures are sadly no surprise.

“The LFB has learned many lessons since the major wildfire incidents in 2022, but more still needs to be done – which is why this Committee is calling for a national wildfire strategy to tackle this growing threat.”

The aftermath of the Walpole Park fire. Picture: John Sears

Hina Bokhari, a Liberal Democrat Assembly Member who sits on the London Assembly Fire Committee, told the LDRS: “The threat of wildfires will only grow as the climate emergency deepens, so every Londoner will need to play their part in preventing them and it will need to be a top priority for the London Fire Brigade.

“But this problem is bigger than London and what we urgently need is a national plan for wildfires, alongside proper Government funding, to ensure our firefighters have the tools, training and resources they need to address this rising threat and keep our capital safe.”

Sir Sadiq Khan said, “Wildfires are raging across Europe engulfing green spaces, endangering homes, forcing evacuations and posing a genuine threat to life. This isn’t a faraway issue, it’s on our doorstep.

“London continues to experience wildfires during the summer months, and I’m determined to do everything possible to ensure the capital is as prepared as possible for the impact of climate change, wildfires and extreme heat."

Written with contributions from Philip John Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter