Wildfires “carried a warning we must not ignore” says First Minister

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Wales must be ready for climate change and the risks it brings, the First Minister said, as he made a statement to the Senedd about the wildfires that ravaged the Welsh countryside this summer.

Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth stressed the need for better resilience against extreme weather, and said: “Wales responded with courage and with a strong sense of community. 

“But these fires also carried a warning that we must not ignore. Our climate is changing. The risks are changing with it and Wales must be ready.”

He pledged to the Senedd a cross-government approach to climate resilience, beginning with the establishment of Wales’ first climate and nature action plan.

He said: “We do not claim to have all the answers and government cannot do this alone. 

“Together, we must strengthen the resilience of our land, our infrastructure and our public services. Prevention must be at the heart of our approach.”

The First Minister shared he will convene a summit next month to learn from the wildfires.

Concluding his statement, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “We cannot prevent every wildfire or every extreme weather event. We can, though, reduce the risks. We can prepare more effectively. And when emergencies happen, we can respond quickly and decisively.”

“Complete letdown”

Reform’s shadow minister for rural affairs, Laura Anne Jones, described the Welsh Government’s response to the wildfires as “a complete letdown” with a lack of action.

The shadow minister criticised the lack of inclusion of farmers in the summit, sharing that she had spoken to farmers in both the north and the south who had heard “radio silence” from the government.

It was “absolutely essential” to include farmers and wanted a guarentee they would attend.

She also accused the First Minister of “hiding behind the excuse of climate change” and instead called for the Welsh Government to launch an educational awareness campaign targeting arson and human error.

She said: “This is what started the fires, not climate change, coupled with bad agricultural policy. You need to recognise this and you need to act accordingly.”

Mr ap Iorwerth confirmed that landowners and farmers are “absolutely a part” of the summit.

He said: “This is about bringing all those partners together who understand the different factors: experts in climate change, absolutely, experts in land management, experts in tackling wildfires – we have some of the best experts in the UK here in Wales.”

“Severity”

Jane Bryant – Labour’s spokesperson for housing, communities, and public and preventative health – also criticised the government for failing to understand the severity of the wildfires and not acting “quickly and decisively”.

She said: “There is no doubt that the wildfires across Wales this summer were a national crisis. Fire and rescue services were pushed to the brink. 

“People were evacuated, homes and farmland destroyed, and large swathes of the country were covered in smoke.”

She concluded: “Firefighters, communities, and businesses need to know that lessons have genuinely been learnt from this unprecedented summer.”

The First Minister said the summer was unlikely to be a one-off and was a “loud alarm call”.

“Sufficient attention”

Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar also weighed in on the debate drawing attention to the Wales resilience framework which was last updated in 2025.

He noted it mentions flooding 21 times, the word ‘pandemic’ 17 times but wildfires just once.

Agreeing with the Conservative leader, Mr ap Iorwerth acknowledged that wildfires have not previously been identified as enough of a risk.

He added: “Our register of risks is updated regularly, and there will be, clearly, a reflection on the scale of the risk that we face through fire, and that is only right.”