Ten fire engines sent to Edenbridge wildfire as Kent crews tackle more than 300 grass fires since May

Ten fire engines, a bulk water carrier and two off-road vehicles were sent to a wildfire in Hever Road, Edenbridge, the largest incident Kent Fire and Rescue Service has published in the Sevenoaks district this summer. Crews were called at 13:31 on Saturday 25 July, put out the main seats of the fire just after 10pm that night, and returned the following morning to check for hotspots. No injuries were reported and the service said the cause was not yet known. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Wildfire in Edenbridge)

Firefighters used beaters, drag rakes, high-pressure hose reel jets and main jets, and the service logged the call as a 30-plus incident, its category for the largest deployments. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Wildfire in Edenbridge)

Not an isolated call

The day after crews stood down at Edenbridge, Kent Fire and Rescue published figures showing how much of its summer has gone on fires in the open. The service said it had attended more than 300 accidental grass fires since the start of May, more than 130 of them in July alone, and more than 30 outdoor fires over the weekend of 24 to 26 July, the weekend the Edenbridge fire started. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Help KFRS to cut out grass fires, 27 July 2026)

Nick Scott, the service’s Assistant Director for Response, said: “During prolonged periods of hot weather, the ground can become extremely dry, which causes fires to start and spread quickly.” He added that the fires take up significant resources and can have devastating consequences for the public and the environment. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Help KFRS to cut out grass fires, 27 July 2026)

It is worth being clear about what these numbers are and are not. Kent Fire and Rescue publishes only a sample of the incidents it attends, the ones it judges of interest to the public and the media, so the district totals on its website are not a complete log of every call out. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Incidents) The 300 figure is a county-wide count of accidental grass fires, not a Sevenoaks one.

What it means for you

Most of what the fire service is asking for is small and specific rather than general advice to be careful.

Do not drop cigarettes on the ground. Make sure they are fully out and cooled before they go in a bin. Put disposable barbecues on a flat, non-flammable surface, keep them away from greenery and buildings, and only bin them once they are completely cold. Take rubbish home rather than leaving it, because reflective litter such as cans and glass can start a fire on its own. Avoid bonfires when the Natural England Fire Severity Index is at High or Severe, and avoid them in windy weather. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Help KFRS to cut out grass fires, 27 July 2026)

If you see a grass fire, the service asks you to move a safe distance away and call 999 with the location. It specifically recommends the What3Words app to pinpoint where you are, which matters on the farmland and common land around Edenbridge, Westerham and the Weald where there is often no address to give. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Help KFRS to cut out grass fires, 27 July 2026)

The hot spell that produced these fires is the same one that pushed the district council to start bin rounds at 6am to protect crews, which we covered when the early collections were extended at the end of July. If you want to see what else is happening on district roads and services week to week, our roadworks and travel update is the place to check.

Sources

• Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Wildfire in Edenbridge
• Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Help KFRS to cut out grass fires, 27 July 2026
• Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Incidents

Image: Farmland north of Edenbridge by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph. The photograph shows farmland in the Edenbridge area and is not a picture of the fire.