West Yorkshire Fire Chief warns of wildfires with heatwave

A FIRE chief has warned of impending wildfires, which could "spread faster than people can run", as another heatwave in Britain approaches.

A sustained hot period is imminent in the UK with temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius expected.

The heatwave is predicted to peak this Friday and Saturday and although it is not set to reach the record-breaking heights of the last heatwave in July, this time round it is due to last much longer.

There were fires right across the country last month and the north of England has been issued a level 2 heat health alert by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) - four being the most serious.

Dave Walton, deputy chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) has warned we are in for a "testing couple of weeks" after minimal rain 

He told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “Wild fire will literally spread faster than people can run, but also it’s just careless disposal of cigarettes, just driving along a road throwing one out of the window of a car, that can start a wildfire.

"It’s things like broken glass, literally magnifying the effect of the sun and starting a wild fire. There’s a number of things.”