Outdoor Fires Across Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Rise By More Than 50%

Outdoor fires across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight increased by 54 per cent during 2025/26, according to the latest performance report from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.

The report, covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, attributes the rise largely to grassland, woodland and crop fires during prolonged periods of hot weather last summer.

Firefighters attended a total of 4,237 fires over the year, representing a 17 per cent increase compared with the previous 12 months.

The service said last summer was particularly busy, with large numbers of outdoor fires requiring responses from wholetime and on-call crews, alongside Fire Control and support teams.

Despite the increase in outdoor incidents, the report recorded a five per cent reduction in dwelling fires, partly due to fewer fires in flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

There was also a slight decrease in non-residential property fires.

The average response time to critical incidents remained unchanged at nine minutes and 49 seconds.

Critical incidents include emergencies such as building fires and road traffic collisions.

The report also highlighted a small increase in staff sickness absence, with musculoskeletal conditions becoming the leading cause of short-term absence.

In the previous year, mental health-related absence had been the most common reason overall.

Elsewhere, the service reported a reduction in workplace health and safety accidents and an increase in the proportion of female firefighters within the organisation.

Previous reports to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority have warned that climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and severity of wildfires in the years ahead.