What should I do if there is a grass fire near my home?

A grass or heath fire near a house is a 999 call first and a garden job second. What you do around the house afterwards is about denying the fire fuel next to the building.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 20 min
Read: 5 min
Safety: restricted

Short answer

Ring 999 and report it, giving the location as precisely as you can. Get everyone and any pets inside, close all windows and doors including trickle vents, and bring in anything on the outside of the house that will burn — cushions, gas bottles, bins, garden furniture. Then be ready to leave. Never try to fight it yourself.

UK grass and heath fires are usually short-lived but extremely fast, driven by wind through dry vegetation, and the ember shower ahead of the front is what actually sets houses alight. Most house losses in a UK wildfire start with something combustible against the building — a fence, decking, a bin, a bark mulch bed, a stack of firewood — rather than with the flame front itself reaching the wall.

Safety

Ring 999 and ask for the fire service the moment you see a grass, gorse or heath fire, even if it looks small — they spread faster than a person can run in dry, windy conditions. Do not attempt to beat it out, drive past it or go closer to look. If you are told to evacuate, go immediately and by the route you are given. Smoke from a grass fire is dangerous in its own right for anyone with asthma or a heart condition.

What you'll need

A working phone
A way out that does not go towards the fire
Somewhere to put pets
A hose or watering can, only for damping down around the house (optional)

Step by step

Ring 999 and ask for the fire service.Do it even if you assume someone else has. Give the nearest road, postcode, gate or landmark, which way the wind is blowing, and whether any building or person is threatened.
Get everyone and every animal inside, and account for them.Inside a closed house is safer than outside in smoke. Pets in carriers near the exit. Know where everyone is before you do anything else.
Shut everything that lets smoke in.Windows, doors, trickle vents, cat flaps, and turn off any mechanical ventilation or extractor drawing air from outside. Smoke is the immediate risk to health long before flame is.
Move gas bottles well away from the building.Patio heater and barbecue cylinders are the most dangerous thing in a typical garden in a fire. If you can move them safely and quickly to open ground away from the house, do; if not, leave and tell the fire service they are there.
Clear what is against the walls.Cushions, doormats, log stacks, wheelie bins, hanging baskets, garden furniture, anything plastic. Bring it in or move it well clear. Embers land in these and start there.
Damp down the ground next to the house if it is safe and quick.A hose over the grass, decking and mulch within a few metres of the walls. This is a five-minute job, not a project, and it stops the moment there is any reason to leave.
Prepare to leave rather than deciding to stay.Keys, phone, charger, medicines, glasses, documents, pet carriers by the door. Park the car facing out. Wind changes are what catch people out.
Go the moment you are told to.If the fire service or police tell you to leave, leave immediately by the route they give and do not go back for anything. Tell someone outside the area where you have gone.
Keep anyone with asthma or a heart condition away from the smoke.Inhalers to hand, indoors with the windows shut, and 999 or NHS 111 if breathing worsens. Grass fire smoke affects people at a considerable distance from the fire.

Tips

The single most effective long-term protection is a clear, non-combustible strip immediately around the house — gravel, paving or short green grass rather than bark mulch, decking or a timber fence butted to the wall.
A wooden fence running from open ground to the house acts as a fuse. A metal gate or a masonry pier breaking that run is worth fitting if you back onto heath, moor or unmanaged grassland.
Never use a barbecue, fire pit or chiminea, and never discard a cigarette, during a dry spell near open ground. Most UK wildfires are started accidentally by people.
Photograph any damage to the garden, fencing or outbuildings for insurance before clearing up, and check whether your policy covers fire spreading from adjoining land.

Common mistakes

Going out with a hose or a beater to tackle it — A grass fire moves faster than you can retreat over rough ground, and the smoke disorients within seconds. This is what the fire service is equipped for and you are not.
Assuming somebody has already called it in — Rural fires are often visible from many houses and reported by none of them. A duplicate 999 call costs nothing; an unreported one costs hours.
Staying to watch because the wind is blowing the other way — Wind shifts are the standard mechanism by which people are caught. Prepare to leave while it still looks unnecessary.
Leaving gas bottles beside the house — A cylinder in a fire is a serious hazard to you and to the crews attending. Move them early or tell the fire service exactly where they are.

If it doesn't work

Smoke getting into the house despite closed windows

Cause: Trickle vents, chimney, extractor fans or an open flue — Fix: Close trickle vents, block an open fireplace with a chimney balloon or a cushion, and switch off extractor fans and any mechanical ventilation. Move to the room furthest from the fire.

Fire has passed but there are smouldering patches near the fence

Cause: Embers and root fires in peat or thick thatch, which can burn underground — Fix: Ring 999 again — smouldering ground fires reignite hours later. Soak them thoroughly only if it is safe to reach them and the main fire is out.

Ash and debris over the garden and cars

Cause: Ember and ash fall from the plume — Fix: Rinse cars with plenty of water before wiping, because ash is abrasive. Wear a mask when clearing dry ash, and keep children and pets off it until it has been cleared.

Questions people ask

Should I evacuate before being told to?

If you feel unsafe, yes — nobody will criticise you for leaving early, and leaving early is safer than leaving late. Tell a neighbour or a relative where you have gone so you are not reported missing.

Does home insurance cover a wildfire?

Fire is a standard peril on virtually every buildings and contents policy, including fire spreading from adjoining land. Fences and garden contents are often limited or excluded, so check those sections specifically if you live next to open ground.

What should I do about a fire on farmland or moor that is not near a house?

Still ring 999. Land fires spread and the fire service would far rather attend early. Give a grid reference or a what3words location if you can — rural locations are the hardest part of the call.