Summer wildfire call-outs more than double

The number of Lincolnshire wildfires this summer is more than double the amount reported during the same period in 2025, a fire service says.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said it attended 58 during June, July and August, up from 26 the previous year.

The service said they were part of 2,700 incidents, which included false alarm, fire and special service, between 1 June and 25 August, up from 2,022 in 2025.

Chief fire officer Mark Baxter said: "It has been fairly relentless in regards to the amount of incidents our firefighters have attended."

The service is reliant on on-call crews, with the majority of members having another job away from the service.

While Baxter said the amount of incidents appeared to be settling down, he added crews were still "quite busy" across the county.

Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, he said: "Unprecedented is probably the right word really for June, July and August.

"It's been really demanding for them over the summer period."

The summer has been the hottest on record, according to provisional data from the Met Office.

Fires across England and Wales prompted a government alert in August, warning people not to light anything that could spark a wildfire.

The fire service said it had "not seen a busier summer", with a significant number of fires placing increased demand on firefighters and emergency response resources.

Crews were called out to 58 incidents in Market Rasen in July alone, and Binbrook crews attended six call-outs within a 24-hour period.

"It's just two examples of dozens across the county, with each on-call station showing incredible levels of determination and commitment in serving their communities," the service added.

Baxter explained that for the majority of firefighters, the service was not their primary employment.

"At a moment's notice, they just have to drop everything and respond to their local fire station.

"A huge amount of thanks and recognition needs to go to the businesses and the organisations that release our on-call firefighters and our self-employed personnel, who have to change their working arrangements," Baxter said.

The fire service said the figures for the period could still increase further, with dozens of incidents still being processed and categorised.

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