Wildfires: why disposable BBQs are being banned from some parks and beaches

By Randa Lindsey Kachef, Lecturer in Environmental Geography, Birkbeck, University of London; King's College London
Mary Langsdale, Research Affiliate, Department of Geography & Leverhulme Centre for Wildfire Research, King's College London; Technical University of Denmark

There’s something almost comic about the modern British summer ritual: as soon as the mercury climbs, we head to the nearest park, sit cross-legged on scorched grass, and hunch over a flimsy foil tray to sear sausages over an open flame.

But these disposable BBQs are now active wildfire risks. This summer, the UK has been experiencing what some fire scientists are calling a “firewave” – when heatwaves create the perfect conditions…

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