Anyone just had a mobile phone government alert - wildfires?

[PartialEclipseOfTheHeart]

DH and I just got it simultaneously.

Brief period of trying to work out what on earth was beeping!

(Sorry, no AIBU, meant to put this in chat)

Yes. It scared my DD12 and is a pisstake as there was no context. Arseholes.

Yep
made me jump

Yes we all got one in this house. Nearly shit my pants.

Ha ha, see loads of threads have now popped up!

Yes, but it disappeared before I could read it properly. Something about wildfires and bbqs?

Yes.

Yep, was Watsapping someone and up it popped! Made me jump lol x

Yes, don't light any fires, basically.

Im in wales so I got a welsh message 5 minutes before the English one - i was googling to see what it was about and did get a bit panicked

Heaven forbid your 12 year old isn’t prioritised over a national emergency.

The country has been ablaze for the last week, what more context do you need?!

We had three alarms, i thought it was the carbon monoxide detector or fire alarm at first. Made me jump!!

Oddly, the government website only has it in Welsh
Anfonwyd gan Lywodraeth y DU

Mae yna berygl difrifol o dân ar draws y genedl. Ni ddylai trigolion, tirfeddianwyr nac ymwelwyr ymgymryd ag unrhyw weithgaredd a allai achosi tân, gan gynnwys barbeciwiau tafladwy, pyllau tân, llosgyddion gardd neu dân gwyllt. Gall hyd yn oed fflam fach ddatblygu'n gyflym yn dân gwyllt mawr, gan beryglu bywydau, cartrefi, busnesau ac ymatebwyr brys.

Dilynwch y diweddariadau swyddogol ac adroddwch arwyddion o dân ar unwaith drwy ffonio 999. Edrychwch ar gov.uk/alerts am fwy o wybodaeth
Sent by the UK government at 6:57pm on Friday 14 August 2026

Google translation:

sent by the UK Government There is a serious fire risk across the nation. Residents, landowners or visitors should not undertake any activity that could cause a fire, including disposable barbecues, fire pits, garden burners or fireworks. Even a small flame can quickly develop into a large wildfire, endangering lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders. Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. See gov.uk/alerts for more information

I thought it was a bloody tsunami warning 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bit of a daft question really. I mean it was hardly likely to have been sent to just you personally was it? So of course other people received it.
The need to start a thread on it is more than strange.
"Ooh it made me jump". Fascinating story

I thought it was an incoming nuclear apocalypse 🤣😩

We had Welsh then 5 mins later the English version. Made me jump.

I wanted to check it wasn't some kind of scam from somewhere that had DH and my numbers. You can't be too careful nowadays, and the government website as I have explained, implies it's only gone out in Wales.

ETA - I am not in Wales or anywhere near Welsh border.

We are somewhere really cut off at the moment and this holiday has been pretty scary for a couple of different reasons. Add in this bloody government warning lighting up our phones and my kids are back to being close to tears.

Don't panic, don't panic, lol ;)

Since the message didn't require any user interaction, it doesn't matter even if it was a scam

It included a link, and if scammers have your number you know to be on the alert for more scam messages.

I must admit, whilst sitting in my garden eating our family dinner and hearing a cacophany of phone sirens echoing around ours and neighbours' gardens, whilst searching for my phone I did go completely mute despite DC asking "What's that what's that what's that" as I was thinking it must be an attack on our country, as in the start of a war.

We were in the pub when about 150 phones went off. It was loud!

When I was at home we had a real problem locally with teenagers trying to set fire to fields. God I hope this alert knocks some sense into the kids.