The Fire Brigades Union is calling for urgent government funding for the fire and rescue service in the upcoming budget, saying services are facing bonfire night without adequate resources. Bonfire night is annually one of the busiest nights of the year for fire and rescue call outs.
This comes as the latest government data on overall incidents attended annually by fire and rescue services shows a major increase in fires attended in the year to June 2025.
Fire and rescue services in England attended 165,697 fires in the year to June 2025, a 28% increase compared with the previous year. Overall, services attended 628,764 incidents: a 25% increase compared to 10 years ago.
This was largely driven by a 52% rise in outdoor primary fires. Primary fires are incidents that cause harm to people or damage to property.
There was also an increase in fire-related fatalities, which rose to 279 deaths: up by 21% compared to the previous year. 208 of those were in house fires, a 17% increase.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
"The fire and rescue service is on its knees after another round of deadly funding cuts, and firefighters are working to save lives under more pressure than ever.
"Latest figures show a dramatic increase in serious fire incidents, with outdoor fires rising by over 50%. We have seen fire and rescue services pushed beyond limits responding to major wildfire incidents throughout the year, which are only predicted to worsen with the climate crisis.
"The loss of 1 in 5 firefighter posts since 2010 means fire cover and resilience have been decimated across the UK. The outcome is that it takes longer for fire engines to arrive at incidents, when every second counts. Political decisions to cut funding are tragically reflected in rising fatalities.
"The FBU is calling on the government to tax the ultra rich to fund our vital public services. To save lives, Rachel Reeves' upcoming Budget must include a progressive wealth tax to rebuild the fire and rescue service."
