FOI Request 1868

Subject: Wildfires

Status: Complete

Date received: May 2023


Question Asked:

  1. How many wildfires did your fire brigade deal with from 2017 to 2022? Please break down your response by year, size of fire, date, cause and if possible, location.

  2. Please let me know any new equipment your service has purchased or plans to purchase in the last 5 years to combat wildfires.

  3. If possible, please let me know the annual cost of dealing with wildfires to your brigade 2017 to 2022. Please break the figure down by each year.


Our Response:

  1. How many wildfires did your fire brigade deal with from 2017 to 2022? Please break down your response by year, size of fire, date, cause and if possible, location.

Please find below a table providing this information. We have provided this based on the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and National Operational Guidance (NOG) definition of a wildfire which includes all incidents which meet the following criteria:

i. The incident was classified as an outdoor fire and

ii. The fire covers at least 1 hectare of damage or

iii. At least 4 appliances/resources attended the incident or

iv. Length of attendance at the incident was at least 6 hours

Incident Number

Time of Call

Station Area

Incident Type

Property Type

Area size sqm

1804001757

06/04/2018 21:51

Birchwood

Fire

Heathland or moorland

Over 10,000

1804002133

08/04/2018 10:26

Alsager

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

21-50

1806003979

10/06/2018 20:02

Warrington

Fire

Wasteland

21-50

1806004020

10/06/2018 21:24

Macclesfield

Fire

Tree Scrub (includes single trees not in garden)

5,001 - 10,0000

1806004610

12/06/2018 14:58

Knutsford

Fire

Heathland or moorland

5,001 - 10,0000

1806009348

24/06/2018 15:16

Penketh

Fire

Wasteland

11-20

1806014768

29/06/2018 20:07

Frodsham

Fire

Scrub land

501 - 1,000

1807009847

11/07/2018 13:11

Lymm

Fire

Standing crop

2,001 - 5,000

1807012113

15/07/2018 16:20

Audlem

Fire

Standing crop

1,001 - 2,000

1811001221

03/11/2018 19:35

Bollington

Fire

Mines and quarries - excluding buildings above ground

501 - 1,000

1811004997

12/11/2018 05:42

Crewe

Fire

Loose refuse (incl in garden)

101 - 200

1903002190

09/03/2019 10:36

Powey Lane

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

11 - 20

1904007269

18/04/2019 16:04

Poynton

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

Over 10,000

1906000761

03/06/2019 14:43

Alsager

Fire

Heathland or moorland

101 - 200

1907005489

15/07/2019 17:12

Runcorn

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

1,001 - 2,000

1908010029

29/08/2019 12:12

Audlem

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

501 - 1,000

1909007582

21/09/2019 14:41

Lymm

Fire

Canal/riverbank vegetation

5,001 - 10,000

1911004121

09/11/2019 16:43

Middlewich

Fire

Loose refuse (incl in garden)

51 - 100

2003006322

20/03/2020 15:35

Powey Lane

Fire

Tree Scrub (includes single trees not in garden)

101 - 200

2003006999

22/03/2020 15:05

Macclesfield

Fire

Heathland or moorland

Over 10,000

2004003337

10/04/2020 10:22

Warrington

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

21 - 50

2005007342

22/05/2020 15:48

Warrington

Fire

Scrub land

101 - 200

2005008096

24/05/2020 08:07

Lymm

Fire

Private/Domestic garden/allotment (vegetation not equipment/building)

51 - 100

2005012007

31/05/2020 20:25

Wilmslow

Fire

Private/Domestic garden/allotment (vegetation not equipment/building)

201 - 500

2006000546

01/06/2020 16:30

Knutsford

Fire

Woodland/forest - conifers/softwood

501 - 1,000

2006009386

25/06/2020 21:31

Northwich

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

51 - 100

2008000497

02/08/2020 17:37

Wilmslow

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

11 - 20

2009004223

13/09/2020 20:19

Macclesfield

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

21 - 50

2009010081

29/09/2020 09:29

Wilmslow

Fire

Wasteland

51 - 100

2010006146

19/10/2020 23:04

Chester

Fire

Stacked/baled crop (incl manure heap)

21 - 50

2106001258

03/06/2021 21:27

Wilmslow

Fire

Woodland/forest - broadleaf/hardwood

Up to 5

2107009726

24/07/202 22:19

Lymm

Fire

Private/Domestic garden/allotment (vegetation not equipment/building)

6 - 10

2108000868

03/08/2021 08:22

Tarporley

Fire

Loose refuse (incl in garden)

11 - 20

2109010059

26/09/2021 10:56

Crewe

Fire

Other outdoor location

101 - 200

2112005282

15/12/2021 16:06

Audlem

Fire

Loose refuse (incl in garden)

1,001 - 2,000

2203007190

19/03/2022 18:22

Powey Lane

Fire

Heathland or moorland

2,001 - 5,000

2205003172

09/05/2022 15:26

Frodsham

Fire

Heathland or moorland

21 - 50

2206003465

10/06/2022 06:08

Chester

Fire

Straw/stubble burning

11 - 20

2207004206

11/07/2022 13:33

Tarporley

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

501 - 1,000

2207007723

18/07/2022 14:35

Middlewich

Fire

Loose refuse (incl in garden)

51 - 100

2207008514

19/07/2022 13:38

Alsager

Fire

Woodland/forest - broadleaf/hardwood

2,001 - 5,000

2207008522

19/07/2022 13:43

Malpas

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

5,001 - 10,000

2207008581

19/07/2022 14:31

Holmes Chapel

Fire

Woodland/forest - conifers/softwood

1,001 - 2,000

2207008604

19/07/2022 14:49

Alsager

Fire

Heathland or moorland

501 - 1,000

2207008793

19/07/2022 17:38

Tarporley

Fire

Woodland/forest - conifers/softwood

1,001 - 2,000

2208006648

14/08/2022 07:05

Frodsham

Fire

Scrub land

Up to 5

2208006956

14/08/2022 15:35

Lymm

Fire

Grassland, pasture, grazing etc

501 - 1,000

2208009695

20/08/2022 11:45

Powey Lane

Fire

Standing crop

5,001 - 10,000

2208009816

20/08/2022 14:34

Lymm

Fire

Straw/stubble burning

Over 10,000

2209000222

01/09/2022 14:40

Frodsham

Fire

Standing crop

Over 10,000

2210001886

06/10/2022 04:23

Alsager

Fire

Private/Domestic garden/allotment (vegetation not equipment/building)

6 - 10

2301008561

27/01/2023 23:01

Stockton Heath

Fire

Other outdoor location

6 - 10


2. Please let me know any new equipment your service has purchased or plans to purchase in the last 5 years to combat wildfires.

Please find below an equipment list which summarises our assets. This is provided to the Peak District Fire Operations Group. The items highlighted in yellow were purchased during the last five years.

foi_1868_q2_wildfire_equipment_list.pdf


3. If possible, please let me know the annual cost of dealing with wildfires to your brigade 2017 to 2022. Please break the figure down by each year.

We are unable to provide the specific cost associated with our response to the incidents disclosed in question 1 as we do not record this information. Resources and vehicles which are deployed from Wholetime fire stations are covered by a single budget for all ongoing emergency response and staff at these fire stations, therefore it is not possible to determine which of these funds should be apportioned specifically to these incidents.

The service allocated an annual budget of £8000 for the replenishment and maintenance of wildfire equipment and PPE.

The service allocates an annual budget or £3100 for annual training in relation to wildfire incidents.

The service made an additional £130,000 investment in the procurement of additional wildfire equipment in 2021/22. This includes all of the items marked in yellow on the attachment to question 2, with the exception of the Water Bowser based at Ellesmere Port. This was procured via a separate project as its use is not solely for wildfire incidents.


Outcome: Partial Data Held

FOI responded to within timescales: YES

Further action: NO


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Last updated: Friday, 30 January 2026


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