Image source, LDRS

The Greens at Suffolk County Council are calling for the climate emergency declaration to be reinstated by the council following the devastation caused by the wildfire on Dunwich Heath.

They first proposed the declaration in 2019 and again in 2023, and now want the council to reverse its position on whether there is a climate emergency in Suffolk.

The Reform UK-led council voted to rescind the declaration, external earlier this month. The council has been contacted for comment on this issue.

Annette Dunning, Green councillor for Halesworth and the group’s spokesperson for communities, thanks the Suffolk firefighters for their "amazing work".

"At our recent protest at Endeavour House regarding scrapping the climate emergency declaration, firefighters from Suffolk and the Fire Brigades Union joined us to explain the impact of the changing climate on their work and the increasing danger of wildfires in Suffolk," she adds.

"The wildfire at Dunwich Heath makes it abundantly clear that Suffolk, like the rest of world, is indeed experiencing a climate emergency."

"The entire site's been engulfed, but what we do know is that nature can recover," says Celia Richardson, from the National Trust.

The charity is asking people to give to an emergency appeal to restore Dunwich Heath, which it owns.

Its director of communications and fundraising says: "As far as I know, there's been no harm to people, but obviously the loss to wildlife, to habitat, to a much loved and iconic place is absolutely devastating."

She says the trust will work with nature to regenerate the site, but this will take many years.

"We've been very careful to make this a restricted appeal. Any money given will only go to this site," she adds.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Wildlife habitats devastated by the "utterly sickening" fire at Dunwich Heath could take up to 25 years to recover, according to Adam Rowlands, the RSPB area manager in Suffolk.

"The acrid smell, it's not just smoke, you have a sense that animals have perished in the flames," he tells Matt Marvel in this episode of Need to Know Suffolk, which you can listen to below.

Image source, PA Media

The fire has devastated sites managed by the National Trust at Dunwhich Heath and the RSPB's reserve at Minsmere.

The area is home to rare birds and reptiles, Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats, adders, common lizards and slow worms.

The RSPB says: "While it's too early to understand the full impact, it's clear that this precious landscape has been profoundly affected, with significant loss of heathland and likely impacts on wildlife that will be felt for years to come."

The National Trust earlier said "total devastation" was the most likely outcome of the fire on Dunwich Heath and it has launched a fundraising page.

Both Minsmere and Dunwich Heath remain closed to the public.

Eight crews remain at the scene of the wildfire in Dunwich Heath this morning.

Members of the public are being asked to avoid Dunwich Heath over the weekend and to keep roads clear for emergency services. Local roads and footpaths will remain closed.

Holidaymakers and residents have been able to collect their vehicles and belongings but some have not been able to return home and campsites remain deserted. The rest centre at Westleton Village Hall closed last night but has reopened as an information centre this morning.

Dunwich Flower Festival has been cancelled as a result of the fire, a spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said.

Image source, Suffolk County Council

Dunwich local teams had already been undertaking work to adapt to the changing climate, the fundraising appeal adds.

"These fires and extreme weather conditions due to climate change are catastrophic. Moments like this bring reality into focus – the impacts of climate change are exceeding original predictions – and we must respond. We must be able to plan for a different future and start adapting today.

"It is not just an environmental crisis, but a human crisis too. Wildfires like this are catastrophic for local communities – people have been evacuated, unable to return home. We have seen this community come together to help each other and make a huge difference to reducing the spread of the fire."

The lowland heath habitat is one of the UK’s rarest and an estimated 92% of it has been lost in England over the last 120 years.

We need to create a landscape "better able to withstand future climate extremes", the National Trust adds.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, National Trust Images/Henry Pisarski

Image source, Suffolk County Council

The National Trust has launched a fundraising page to help restore Dunwich Heath.

"A place loved for its sweeping purple heather and rare wildlife has been left scarred almost beyond recognition," the appeal says.

The area is home to nightjars, Dartford warblers, adders, common lizards and rare heathland insects, it adds.

The heath had shown "remarkable signs of recovery" after the extreme heat and drought of 2022.

"Heather was returning, specialist moth populations were increasing, and Dartford warbler numbers had recovered close to pre-drought levels.

"Now that progress has been burnt away. We need your help to re-build what has been lost.

"As our climate changes, bringing hotter summers, longer periods of drought and an increasing risk of wildfires, we must help nature adapt to new conditions.

"Moving forward we will need to create a healthier, more resilient landscape that can support wildlife long into the future."

Image source, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

As a fourth day of firefighting gets under way, here's a reminder of the scale of the task.

• Where and when? Fire broke out on Wednesday evening at about 17:00 BST when multiple crews were called to Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast
• How big is the fire? Initially flames engulfed more than 250 acres (100 hectares) – equivalent to about 140 football pitches - but by Thursday evening it had spread, covering 371 acres (150 hectares), the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches
• How many firefighters? At the height of the inferno, more than 100 firefighters were deployed to the scene, and crews from across Suffolk were supported by colleagues from Essex, Norfolk, London, West Yorkshire, East Sussex, Surrey and Northamptonshire. That effort has been scaled back but the fire is still not out
• Human casualties? The impact on wildlife is not yet known, but Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said on Friday, external that so far, there had been "no reported casualties or injuries to members of the public or emergency responders"

Firefighters have begun a fourth day of tackling the blaze on Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast.

The fire began at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday and rapidly spread overnight and throughout Thursday, going on to affect an area equal to the size of about 210 football pitches.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says eight crews remained at the scene overnight into Saturday.

Active firefighting began again at first light and will continue for the rest of the day. We'll bring you the latest updates.

Image source, Suffolk County Council

Peter Walker
BBC News

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is keen to stress the blaze affecting Dunwich Heath and RSPB Minsmere is still a "major incident" but that "conditions are currently improving and planning for the recovery phase has begun".

• Scale of the blaze: The wildfire has affected an area equivalent to the size of about 200 football pitches - up from about 14 football pitches on Thursday morning
• Community response: The co-owner of a caravan park says he offered his toilet and shower block to displaced people. A 75-year-old resident has helped about 13 people and their dogs find accommodation, and a farm shop has been donating items to firefighters
• Affected people: Tourists have been escorted by police in minibuses so they can collect belongings from their holiday accommodation. One woman from Essex says the 15 minutes she had to gather up clothes felt like "supermarket sweep". There have been no reports of injuries
• Action wanted: The National Trust wants government to make sure firefighters have "immediate access" to aerial support for future incidents. The charity helped mobilise a helicopter that has been dropping seawater on the flames. The RSPB, which manages the Minsmere reserve, has described the devastation to wildlife

• Looking ahead: The fire service says conditions are "currently improving" and that it will continue to monitor the weather over the coming days. Crews expect to remain on scene until Monday at the very least

We are now bringing our live coverage to a close for the day.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Alex Dunlop
in Westleton

When can people return home? That is still unknown.

Tonight, campsites remain deserted, homes still stand empty, until this wildfire is contained.

Fire crews expect to be here until Monday at least. It will be a long weekend.

Image source, PA Media

Russell Clement from the National Trust has praised partner agencies for making sure the iconic Coastguard Cottages "escaped untouched."

He thanked the fire service, the RSPB and Natural England for their work. Local farmers and the groundworks crew at Sizewell C power station had also been "working tirelessly to assist with cutting firebreaks and deploying equipment to dig trenches and supply water bowsers".

"We believe these efforts will have ultimately saved many homes and holiday accommodation," he said earlier today.

"The local community has also been incredibly supportive, banding together to support holidaymakers who were evacuated."

Image source, Reuters

We've tried to demonstrate how the heathland looked before the events of the last couple of days.

Image source, Andrew Woodger/BBC

And today...

Image source, Jamie Niblock/BBC

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, PA Media

Alice Cunningham
Suffolk

Dunwich Heath is owned by the National Trust, but during World War Two it became a militarised zone and was one of the most heavily defended parts of Suffolk.

In 1943, Operation Krushchen was carried out there which was designed to test the ways that German defences could be breached to allow landings by Allied troops in Europe.

They set up trenches and minefields for practice.

It was originally arable land, but after the war, was restored to acid grassland and heather heath to provide new areas for rare birds such as the stone curlew and woodlark.

The Dartford warblers returned after an absence of 60 years and the first successful breeding of the stone curlew took place in 2017.

Other species supported there are the nightjar, the silver-studded blue butterfly and green tiger beetles.

Drone images from this afternoon show the huge expanse of healthland that has been destroyed.

What's particularly notable is how close the flames came to affecting the iconic Coastguard Cottages.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

So we've heard again from a local MP - who is also a junior minister - regarding the government response to the fire.

The National Trust has a specific request. It wants fire services to have "immediate access" to aerial support when needed.

The charity organised the deployment of one particular helicopter that has been dropping seawater on to the flames.

In a statement the trust says: "With half of England and the whole of Wales now declared as being in drought conditions, and the escalating risk of more wildfires, there is a real need for fire services across the country to have instant access to this vital service and support, to ensure that people, places, precious landscapes and wildlife have the best possible chance of surviving such incidents."

They continue: "Wildfires can spread rapidly and every minute counts. Early access to the right resources gives firefighters the best chance of protecting communities, wildlife and landscapes, and preventing small incidents from becoming major disasters."

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Ben Parker/BBC

We heard earlier from Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the Labour MP whose Suffolk Coastal constituency covers Dunwich.

She says she has been in touch with various people in government, including some who work directly with the prime minister, and that they are taking the fire "incredibly seriously".

Asked if the government needs to do more to protect rural areas facing extreme heat, she says Westminster is already looking into this due to the increase in wildfires over the year.

"Particularly this summer we've had over 250 wildfires in the UK alone, those are varying different scales," she explains.

"We have to learn lessons from abroad as well, we've got to look at adaptations... this is the reality of climate change.

"Winters are wetter, summers are dryer [with] conditions for these wildfires to spread with this severity."

Debbie Tubby
in Darsham

The co-owner of Mill Hill Farm Caravan and Camping Park at Darsham, David Watson, reveals he kindly offered his facilities to those who were displaced in the Dunwich Heath fire.

"The Westleton village community did a fantastic job of housing people and looking after them, it's still ongoing today," he says.

"I offered the toilet and shower block for people to come and freshen up if they wished and some people took that."

He adds that some people on Thursday seemed "shell shocked" but were grateful to him.

"I think [helping people] is just a natural thing because you'd like to think people would do the same for you in the circumstances.

"I wasn't able to do much, but I think everybody did their little bit, which in the end made a really successful outcome."

Image source, PA Media

In an update at 16:30 BST, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says crews remain at the scene at Dunwich Heath and that a potential risk to buildings around the Coastguard Cottages has been stabilised.

No properties have been lost and no injuries have been reported during the fire, and a helicopter crew continue to tackle hotspots in areas that are difficult to reach.

"While the incident remains significant and resource intensive, and is still classified as a major incident... conditions are currently improving and planning for the recovery phase has begun.

"Firefighters and partner agencies will continue to monitor the weather and situation closely over the coming days.

"Thank you to everyone affected for your patience and cooperation."

Alice Cunningham
Suffolk

Jess Asato, the Labour MP for Lowestoft here in Suffolk, is backing calls, external for UK retailers to temporarily suspend the sale of disposable BBQs while the risk of wildfires remains high.

Sharing a post made by fellow MP Jon Pearce, external on the issue, Asato says: "Given the horrendous wildfire in Dunwich in Suffolk, this is a clear precautionary measure which I support."

Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak near Sheffield, says in his post that disposable barbecues are a "preventable fire risk" and it is "time for every retailer to suspend" the sale of them to "help protect lives, wildlife and our previous countryside".