Majority of wildfires set deliberately, says service

SOUTH Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) says there has been a clear increase in the number of wildfires over recent years and that what we're seeing is not "normal".

- BETHANY GAVAGHAN

From January 1 to April 10, 2024, there were 34 wildfires. The same period this year has already seen 445 wildfires reported.

Last month, the service tackled more than 100 wildfires during one six-day period alone.

SWFRS head of operations Matthew Jones said: "A significant large portion of them will be deliberate.

"While a number of them will be accidental, it will be very small in comparison to deliberate fires we often see."

This year, Wales experienced its fourth driest March on record, following 1944, 1997, and 2011, with just 23.9mm of rainfall across the month, and fire chiefs have also hinted this may not just be a coincidence.

SWFRS wildfire practical advisor David Bound said: "There probably is a direct link between climate change and the severity of the fires we're attending.

"But as Matt has alluded, we are pretty confident in the causation of a lot of our fires being deliberate."

When asked what the motive could be for people doing this, he said: "I'm not really sure I have the exact answer to be honest with you.

"Psychological is probably one of them, but it is a generational problem.

"The demographics tend to lend themselves to generations over time, like when fires are within communities, especially on mountainsides.

"That, to a certain extent, has gone away. But it is still reminiscent within the South Wales valleys."