Suffolk wildfire latest: Nuclear power plant on alert as firefighters to battle blaze for days amid drought

Nuclear power station Sizewell B is on alert over ongoing wildfires nearby its Suffolk site.

EDF energy, which operates the site, said it is monitoring the situation but that there is currently no risk to the plant.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service will have “all the support” it needs to deal with the wildfire near the coast, the prime minister has pledged.

Speaking to reporters, Andy Burnham said: “We’ve got the situation under close monitoring, and I’m receiving regular updates.

“It is a very serious incident. I will make sure that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service have all of the support, the mutual aid, the other services that they need, and any other resources that need to be brought to bear.”

Fire chiefs say they cannot predict when residents will be able to return to homes they were forced to evacuate.

Cliff House Holiday Park, containing some 200 caravans, was completely evacuated as a precaution.

“We won’t advise people to go back to their properties until it’s absolutely safe to do so,” said chief fire officer Jon Lacey.

“But we will do that as quickly as we possibly can to make sure they get back to their belongings and back to normality.”

He said it was difficult to say when they would be able to return.

Some people had left their homes voluntarily, while others left on the advice of fire crews.

Some 46 people were at the evacuation centre.

Fire chiefs say they will start calling on other fire services in the UK to relieve crews working at Dunwich Heath.

Suffolk’s chief fire officer Jon Lacey said: “We’re now at the point where the crews need relieving”.

He added: “They need their respirators to keep them safe and sound so we do now start to pull up on our regional resources from other fire services.”

He said: “We’re expecting an ask to go in for national resources, which come from further away.”

The Suffolk blaze has spread to parts of the RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, which staff say will be closed until further notice.

Trees have been blackened and ground scorched.

Reserve staff wrote on social media: “Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is currently dealing with a significant fire at Minsmere, which started late on Wednesday afternoon near Dunwich Heath.

“Due to hot, windy conditions, the situation is changing rapidly and we urge everyone to avoid the area and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

“Local residents are also advised to keep windows and doors closed where possible.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the fire service and all partners responding to this incident.”

And they begged people to take extra care outdoors, warning it takes only a single spark to start a wildfire.

Sizewell C, a nuclear power station currently under construction, has said it is at “low risk” of being affected by the ongoing wildfire but that it is “continuously assessing smoke conditions”.

In a post on social media, a spokesperson said: “We are closely monitoring the fire at Dunwich Heath, which currently poses a low risk to Sizewell C due to its distance from the site and the watercourses in between.

“Our sites and offices remain open and operating as normal. We are continuously assessing smoke conditions and any impacts on the road network to help keep people safe and ensure emergency services have priority access.

“We remain ready to support the local community, working closely with the local council, police and Fire and Rescue Service.”

It comes as EDF, the operator of Sizewell B, said the fire is “not currently affecting operations” at the station.

Heatwave-related deaths in the UK have almost doubled this year compared to last summer, new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reveal.

A report estimates 2,877 heat-associated deaths occurred during the heatwaves in May and June alone.

This total includes an estimated 753 deaths linked to the May heatwave (24-27 May) and a further 2,124 during the June heatwave (21-28 June). These figures are nearly twice the number reported for the entire summer period of June to August last year.

The wildfire at Dunwich Heath is covering around 100 hectares – or 247 acres – as fire crews continue to tackle the blaze.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it has 18 fire engines at the scene, working under what it called “challenging conditions”.

It added a number of residents have been evacuated, and others have chosen to self-evacuate.