A run of grass and woodland fires has swept through Sheffield’s parks and green spaces since late July, several confirmed by fire crews as deliberate. Here is a timeline of what has happened, where, and the weather conditions behind it.
Sheffield has recorded at least eight significant grass, woodland or open-space fires since the final week of July, with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) confirming that several were started deliberately. The spate has coincided with the driest summer on record for the UK and an official Met Office fire severity index rating most of England and Wales as “very high” or “exceptional” risk.
What has happened, and where
The most recent incident came this afternoon, August 11, at Arbourthorne Recreation Ground, where five fire engines were called to a grassland blaze. SYFR advised nearby residents to keep doors and windows shut against smoke and issued an avoid-the-area warning. Councillor Ben Miskell, who represents Park and Arbourthorne, said the cause had yet to be established but that the fire followed “yesterday’s deliberately started fire on Skye Edge.”
That Skye Edge Playing Fields fire broke out the evening of August 10; SYFR said three engines were called at 9.02pm and had the blaze out by 10.15pm, and confirmed it is believed to have been started by an arsonist.
On August 8, two fires burned simultaneously: one involving woodland and grassland near Wincobank Fort, which drew five engines, and another in Burbage Valley in the Peak District, which drew four. SYFR used the incident to issue a wider public warning, urging people to leave disposable barbecues at home, avoid garden bonfires “as the conditions are totally unsuitable,” and report anyone seen starting fires to the anonymous Firestoppers line on 0800 169 5558.
The day before, August 7, a grass fire broke out at Longley Park on Crowder Road; SYFR confirmed this was also believed to have been started deliberately. Crews from Elm Lane, Rivelin and Central stations were called at 1.42pm and had left the scene by 5.30pm.
Earlier that week, on August 5, a family home on Harthill Road in Woodthorpe was destroyed in a suspected arson attack, and a separate fire broke out the same night near the old Sheffield ski village site. SYFR has also recorded fires in Graves Park, on green space beside Wensley Street in Wincobank, and in Grenoside Woods and woodland in Hackenthorpe. Further back, on July 31, two grass fires broke out simultaneously near Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park, at Elm Wood Farm in Swallownest and on Penrith Road.
Why now
The immediate driver is weather. England has just recorded its driest July on record, and the Environment Agency says 71.3% of the country is in “flash drought.” Sheffield itself has had no meaningful rain for well over a week; forecasts show highs of 30C expected on August 12, following a run of days in the mid-to-high 20s, with little realistic chance of rain until at least the weekend. Much of England and Wales, Sheffield included, is now rated at very high or exceptional risk on the Met Office’s fire severity index, which measures how severe a wildfire is likely to become if one starts.
Dry grass, hedges and woodland ignite easily in these conditions, and SYFR has been explicit that the underlying cause of most individual fires is human activity, not the weather itself. The service’s repeated advice, that a single spark from a barbecue, cigarette or bonfire can spread rapidly through tinder-dry vegetation, reflects that distinction; the heat and drought create the conditions, but people are lighting the fires. Several of the recent Sheffield incidents, including Longley Park and Skye Edge, have been formally attributed to arson rather than accident.
What’s being done
SYFR has asked the public not to use disposable barbecues in parks or open spaces, not to light garden bonfires while conditions remain this dry, and to dispose of cigarettes and rubbish responsibly when out in the countryside. Anyone who sees a wildfire starting is asked to call 999; anyone with information about who is responsible for deliberately started fires is asked to contact Firestoppers anonymously on 0800 169 5558.
Councillor Miskell said the fires “put people’s lives and homes at risk, harm wildlife, and place needless additional pressure on our emergency services,” adding that anyone found responsible “should expect a knock on the door from the police.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue incidents and quotes
- Yorkshire Live / ExaminerLive, “Sheffield wildfire LIVE as flames rip through grassland,” 31 July 2026 — Elm Wood Farm and Penrith Road fires
- The Star, “Fire services called to two simultaneous blazes in Sheffield” — Longley Park (Crowder Road) fire, SYFR’s bonfire/BBQ warning
- The Star, “Blaze at Sheffield park was ‘started deliberately,’ say fire service,” 8 August 2026 — Longley Park, 7 August, confirmed arson
- The Star, “Firefighters tackling yet another blaze in Sheffield woodlands as people asked to avoid the area” — Harthill Road house fire, ski village site fire, Graves Park, Wincobank, Grenoside Woods, Hackenthorpe, plus Met Office fire severity index mention
- The Star, “Two blazes raging simultaneously in green spaces in Sheffield & the Peak District,” 8 August 2026 — Wincobank Fort and Burbage Valley fires, full SYFR public warning and Firestoppers number
- The Star, “Firefighters reveal cause of fire on Sheffield community’s playing fields” — Skye Edge Playing Fields fire, 10 August 2026, confirmed arson
- The Star, “‘Expect a knock from the police’: Councillor issues warning after latest blaze in Sheffield,” 11 August 2026 — Arbourthorne Recreation Ground fire and Councillor Ben Miskell’s quotes
Weather and drought context
- ITV News, “Summer 2026 set to be the UK’s hottest on record, Met Office says” — driest July on record, 71.3% of England in flash drought, heat health alerts, hosepipe bans
- Yahoo News UK, same ITV-sourced story, used to cross-check the drought and heat alert figures
- The Star, “No rain in sight with another 30C scorcher forecast for Sheffield” — Sheffield-specific forecast (temperatures and lack of rain through the week)