UK Deploys 200 Soldiers to South Wales Wildfires as 14 Blazes Strain Crews
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 16
UK Deploys 200 Soldiers to South Wales Wildfires as 14 Blazes Strain Crews
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 16
Summary
About 200 soldiers from the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, backed by Royal Engineers, the Royal Logistics Corps and army helicopters, are supporting wildfire crews in south Wales.
Fin Monahan, chief fire officer at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the military's trench-digging, fire-break building and water distribution had freed specialist firefighters to tackle dozens of active fires.
In south Wales alone, crews were fighting about 14 separate fires on Sunday, while Mid and West Wales teams responded to blazes in Carmarthenshire, Powys, Swansea and Pembrokeshire.
Water supply has become a key constraint: Monahan said military teams were moving large volumes between areas to avoid overloading the Welsh water system.
The deployment follows a UK-wide emergency alert on Friday and broader wildfire measures, but Monahan said risky public behavior persisted, citing someone burning tyres under a tree.