A large-scale wildfire in the north of Wales had been declared as a major incident by emergency services, during the latest UK summer heatwave.

Local residents and members of the public near Conwy Mountain and the Sychnant Pass have been evacuated as firefighters tackle the blaze.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said on Sunday afternoon that it was working through "challenging conditions" and that operations were "expected to continue for some time". The service also said it was also responding to a number of grass fire incidents, including in Braichmelyn Forest in Bethesda.

Residents in the nearby village of Capelulo, close to Conwy Mountain, were advised by the town council to "leave safely and follow the instructions of the emergency services on scene". Other nearby communities have been advised to keep windows and doors closed and seek medical advice if they experience breathing difficulties.

Extended risk to other parts of the UK

Natural England have said that southern England and parts of the south Midlands were at the highest wildfire risk over the next few days, while a number of other areas in England and Wales were at "very high" risk. The UK is set to enter a second week of temperatures above the heatwave threshold, with amber and yellow heat health alerts issued for between Sunday night and Wednesday night.

In the Greater Manchester area, crews are working to contain a moorland fire near a reservoir. At the opposite end of the country in Blackwater, Camberley, crews are extinguishing a large heathland fire. Wildfires have burned in County Durham, Derbyshire, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon and Somerset over the weekend, during a period of "exceptional" risk for fires.

Forecast for the coming days

Over the coming week, continued hot and dry weather, paired with strong winds and lower humidity, is feared to accelerate the drying of vegetation, which increases the risk for fires. Stronger winds would also cause any fires that do break out to spread more rapidly and become more difficult to contain.

Later in the week, however, the risk is expected to ease slightly, as winds become less strong and the chance of rain showers increases.

Until then, this latest round of fires remains a stark reminder of the dangers of climate change, which causes increased summer heatwaves and drives up the risk of wildfires.

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