Wildfire breaks out four miles from nuclear plant sparking evacuation of homes and holiday park

A major incident has been declared in Norfolk after a wildfire broke out at Dunwich Heath.

Homes have been evacuated while firefighters spent the night tackling the blaze in large heathland on the Suffolk coast.

Ominous footage showed thick smoke billowing into the sky near homes, turning the sky a dark orange as it blocked out the sun.

The fire is just four miles away from Sizewell B nuclear plant.Suffolk County Council says there is ‘no current risk’ to the site.

The UK has been in the clutches of a fourth heatwave this year and temperatures reached above 30°C in parts of the UK yesterday.

Startling images of parched grasslands have become all too common in 2026 with half of England officially in drought. 21 counties are also under a hosepipe ban, affecting 23million people. 

It means parts of the country are a tinderbox, prompting widespread wildfire warnings from fire chiefs. Firefighters are tackling several outbreaks, including in Cairngorms in Scotland, which has been burning for two weeks.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it has focused on protecting properties including Coastguard Cottages, Mount Pleasant Farm and Cliff House Holiday Park, and told people to avoid the area.

The fire broke out shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday and spread towards St James’ Church.

An amber heat-health alert is in place for the East Midlands, the East, South East and London. Thankfully, some respite could be on the way.

Temperatures are expected to fall to average across much of the country from today.

Deputy Chief Forecaster Mark Sidaway said: ‘The forecast is showing potential for more rain than much of the UK has experienced over the last few weeks.

‘However, it looks as though amounts of rain for many will be fairly modest, and won’t balance out the shortfall that we have recorded this summer. It’s still possible that some areas of the south will miss out and see little or no rainfall.’

Areas in France and Spain have been devastated by wildfires raging across Europe. Around 330,000 people were evacuated across the two countries.

In Greece, three firefighters were killed tackling two separate infernos – one in Crete and the other in the southern Peloponnese region.