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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think the wildfire alert about barbecues was unnecessary?

379 replies

HollyhockDayssss · 14/08/2026 19:55

Oh My God Reaction GIF

AIBU to think the alert was unnecessary? I get wildfires are an issue but informing the public not to use bbqs isnt a life and death situation.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
HewasH2O · 14/08/2026 21:51

On the same night as the large scale fire started in the NF, a hedge caught fire further diwn in the Forest, which set cars alight on people's driveways and then burnt down 2 bungalows. The houses were minutes away from a local fire station, but as all units were attending the main fire, engines had to attend from the Portsmouth area around 40 minutes away.

Yes, people are being arrested for arson, but that covers deliberately OR recklessly starting a fire. Hopefully this will make people think.

BTW, do you realise that TikTok & Netflix aren't routinely used by every household in the country?

tommyhoundmum · 14/08/2026 21:52

HollyhockDayssss · 14/08/2026 19:55

AIBU to think the alert was unnecessary? I get wildfires are an issue but informing the public not to use bbqs isnt a life and death situation.

It is if you live on the edge of a common or parkland. We fire watch constantly

AmnesiacsDream · 14/08/2026 21:53

Perplexed20 · 14/08/2026 20:48

So? Some of that is just luck.

So it was inappropriate to use the alert system. Getting the information out is important, but the alert system was a terrible way to do it.

MrsOni · 14/08/2026 21:53

scalt · 14/08/2026 21:50

Here’s an idea for an experiment: the government issues an emergency alert (full sirens and everything) reminding people not to drop litter.

Then monitor the litter. Is less of it dropped? Are these emergency alerts effective? Or would they become background noise, like the motorway signs saying “clearing up your rubbish puts lives at risk” (with its ambiguous syntax).

This is an argument that would make sense if this was the 50th alert this month. It's the first in 6 months.

Get a grip.

Summersorcherisjustsummer · 14/08/2026 21:53

Why didn't they just say stop all BBQ ?
People don't need a BBQ right now and an immediate blanket ban would help call out people.

Op I think it's very necessary , we are all having to rely on each other being sensible and we know how that went during COVID.

We must collectivly get pressure on our mps so sort out the water problem because it's amplified the dire straights we are in

Katypp · 14/08/2026 21:54

Itsasecretnow · 14/08/2026 20:20

Honestly, the ignorance! Of course it can be a matter of life or death, what is wrong with you? Or just fancied a goady post because it disturbed a snooze or something, op? Who knows how much wildlife has burned to death? Or how many will die due to their habitats being burned to the ground. All these species are vital to whole of life on earth, if tue balance shifts by much it really could be absolutely disasterous to your children’s futures, or theirs. People homes have been destroyed, people have been injured… it might seem like a completely bizarre thing to issue an alert about - I don’t think, in theory, that can be denied - but what’s more bizarre, and far more worrying is that things have got so bad with climate change that we actually even need a severe alert about something like this. That in itself should show you how serious this is.

You're lucky if you don’t live near anywhere that has been affected by these wildfires, so just enjoy yourself and turn the severe alerts off on your phone if you think they’re pointless, or they disturb you. I live not far from one area that has so far been burning for over 5 days, this morning it was estimated to have destroyed the equivalent of 280 football pitches. It’s a beautiful place - one of the national parks and (I think) an area of outstanding beauty. Beyond that, though, it is land that is a protected area for so, so many animals, fauna etc and an important environmental area. Have been visiting there for my entire life. The wildlife is amazing. And, yes, it has been discovered that many of the fires were caused by disposable bbqs. The fire this week wasn’t the first there this year, there have been many over the last couple of months.

Just open your eyes and see the wider picture.

You are other pps accusing posters of ignoring how dangerous wldfires are are missing the point somewhat.
I don't think anyone has said wildfires are not a matter of life or death, have they?
Pps are saying that the alarm warning system was set up to alert people of imminent danger, not to warn them not to do something that MAY cause danger.
As pps have said, why was there no warning to avoid looking directly at the eclipse or to remember to wear sunscreen?
The warning system was not set up to tell people how to behave. It was set up to warn people of imminent danger.
On that basis, it should not have been used tonight.

SapphireSeptember · 14/08/2026 21:55

We had a fire here that started on Tuesday morning on the industrial estate. It was near the East Coast Mainline and fields, as well as people's gardens and there were embers and sparks going onto the grass. It was a few streets away but I could see and smell smoke and hear noises from the fire. So no, fires aren't 100 miles away. England and Wales are a tinderbox as well as parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and people are idiots.

PickAChew · 14/08/2026 21:55

Terrible promotion placement, right in this thread.

AIBU to think the wildfire alert about barbecues was unnecessary?
Bridgertonisbest · 14/08/2026 21:56

I thought we'd gone to war!

mumumental · 14/08/2026 21:56

Honestly OP, go and moan about something else.

FoundAUserNameDownTheSofa · 14/08/2026 21:56

I was visiting in ICU, it was a nasty shock, so many phones going off, and my phone had a slight delay so I didn’t know it was coming from phones. I thought it was an emergency elsewhere in the unit, then when I saw the staff looked confused I had a horrible moment thinking maybe it was a fire alarm. And then a moment of panicking what on earth the alert was about.

They could have put a press release out first to say they were going to do the alert, that doesn’t lose its effectiveness it just means someone would have said “oh yes they said they were doing a an alert”.

MrsPapillon · 14/08/2026 21:57

Sereine · 14/08/2026 20:40

Do you seriously believe the risk is limited to the Cairngorms? The fires have been all over the place, a random spark virtually anywhere could start a major wildfire. You may be sitting perfectly safely one moment and then be in imminent risk of your life if some idiot in your vicinity drops a match on the ground.

Please read the comment I replied to.

Your life could also be in danger from someone drink driving, or if you walked on train tracks or swam in a quarry but the government don’t send alerts out warning of the risks. I’m not disputing that the public need alerting but there are other ways of doing it than using the medium that is supposed to be reserved for occasions when your life is in immediate danger - as in, grab your children now and run to your car and get the hell out of wherever you are. That is what we were told these alerts are for, so needlessly terrifying people is counterproductive. They’ll just turn them off.

How do you think we were given information before 2023? Not by bloody air-attack warnings, and they managed to convey important information throughout Covid without us having Threads flashbacks.

Stopsnowing · 14/08/2026 21:59

My phone had this alert at least four times over an hour. I would be concerned for those who have hidden phones for good reason. I also don’t understand why ads on tv, social media, radio,
plus news outlets wouldn’t have worked as
well.

JustMyView13 · 14/08/2026 22:00

Yeah, firm disagree. It’s clear our free education system has failed us and there’s some absolute idiots out there starting fires, having garden fires, and leaving disposable BBQ’s on the dry ground. I have a friend who’s risking their life up in the wildfires and no sooner have they made an area safe, it’s into the next one. Working extended shifts with no welfare. The military is being bought in to help. If we’re at that level, then an alert to hopefully make people act a bit smarter is totally proportionate.

TreeLoverr · 14/08/2026 22:02

Yes I agree! I was under the impression these alerts meant you were in imminent danger specifically, like a wildfire in your area and you need to prepare to leave. I think it was an overuse and risks people taking them less seriously.

I have no problem with them being used in general, but I think it really needs to be for specific times when you need to take action.

Lifeomars · 14/08/2026 22:02

Did you see the footage of fire tearing through those houses? It was terrifying, people were running for their lives. Other than the clothes they stand up in they have lost everything. It has made me feel quite anxious as there is a large piece of very dry grass over the road from me and for the past 3 nights idiots have been letting off fireworks, one spark and it would go up in seconds and there are wooden fences backing onto it which front off a row of terraced houses. Sadly there are thick selfish people eveywhere who only think about what they want in the moment and are uwilling or incapable to consider what their careless actions can lead to

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 14/08/2026 22:03

HollyhockDayssss · 14/08/2026 19:55

AIBU to think the alert was unnecessary? I get wildfires are an issue but informing the public not to use bbqs isnt a life and death situation.

I’m one of the people who were on standby to be evacuated-fortunately we are ok. But overnight, whilst firefighters were still putting out our friends and neighbours homes, some stupid twats went and lit fireworks at 1am in the fields close by. Very much people need to be told. And yes, it is life and death. 19 homes gone. Pets dead. Whole lifetimes gone up in flames. Fortunately no human lives and all the horses were rescued. Firefighters are still damping down. The community is coming together with goods and food.
URBVVVVVVVVVU.

SapphireSeptember · 14/08/2026 22:05

MrsPapillon · 14/08/2026 21:57

Please read the comment I replied to.

Your life could also be in danger from someone drink driving, or if you walked on train tracks or swam in a quarry but the government don’t send alerts out warning of the risks. I’m not disputing that the public need alerting but there are other ways of doing it than using the medium that is supposed to be reserved for occasions when your life is in immediate danger - as in, grab your children now and run to your car and get the hell out of wherever you are. That is what we were told these alerts are for, so needlessly terrifying people is counterproductive. They’ll just turn them off.

How do you think we were given information before 2023? Not by bloody air-attack warnings, and they managed to convey important information throughout Covid without us having Threads flashbacks.

Can you not see the difference between those examples and a wildfire?
Walking on train tracks, idiotic, traumatic for the train driver if a train hits you and for whoever has to clean you up, and bloody inconvenient for any passengers.
Going for a swim in a quarry, again, idiotic considering the amount of drownings there have been this summer, some poor saps are going to have to rescue you if you get into trouble or recover your body if you drown.
Drunk drivers are bastards, but they're not dangerous in the way a wildfire would be.
Wildfires can spread quickly in these conditions and can be a huge threat to life.

TreeLoverr · 14/08/2026 22:05

Lifeomars · 14/08/2026 22:02

Did you see the footage of fire tearing through those houses? It was terrifying, people were running for their lives. Other than the clothes they stand up in they have lost everything. It has made me feel quite anxious as there is a large piece of very dry grass over the road from me and for the past 3 nights idiots have been letting off fireworks, one spark and it would go up in seconds and there are wooden fences backing onto it which front off a row of terraced houses. Sadly there are thick selfish people eveywhere who only think about what they want in the moment and are uwilling or incapable to consider what their careless actions can lead to

Surely then people in that area should get the alerts to leave when the fire was reported near them? The alerts are not for public announcements I thought!

MotherofPufflings · 14/08/2026 22:08

tourdefrance · 14/08/2026 21:34

Surely people should just not have phones with them in surgery? Do medical professionals normally carry their phones with them at all times? I'd assume they would be limited access, with pagers being used to contact people.

It's completely normal to have phones in surgery, they're a much more efficient way to communicate than pagers. They're often on silent, unless on call. Occasionally one might go off for a few seconds, no big deal. It is unheard of for everyone's phones to simultaneously play an ear-piercing alarm multiple times.

HewasH2O · 14/08/2026 22:10

The alert was designed to alert idiots to the imminent danger of starting a fire. That's the risk. Just switch on the news right now if you think a quick nationwide warning is an inconvenience.

Thegirlwhowent · 14/08/2026 22:10

HollyhockDayssss · 14/08/2026 19:55

AIBU to think the alert was unnecessary? I get wildfires are an issue but informing the public not to use bbqs isnt a life and death situation.

It can be life or death though. Look at some of the recent footage of wildfires. People have lost their homes, some have lost their lives and fire crews are putting themselves in danger. Wildlife suffers too. Unfortunately, the idiots who are still using disposable barbecues or fireworks will probably continue to do so because they can't see the danger.

MiniPantherOwner · 14/08/2026 22:17

In my nearly 50 years this is the driest summer I've ever known in the East Midlands. I don't know why people are complaining about the government warning. Vast amounts of the UK are at risk of fire, it is an emergency. I'd rather a warning now, that may make some people think twice about risky behaviour, than a warning that my house is in danger of burning down and I need to evacuate.

At least we will know that anyone lighting BBQs, fireworks, etc. is an arsehole who doesn't give a shit. Anyone who owns a phone and can read now knows the risk.

Mykneesareshot · 14/08/2026 22:19

It's the weekend and school holidays, if it even stops one fire by sending the alert then fine by me.

AmnesiacsDream · 14/08/2026 22:19

Thegirlwhowent · 14/08/2026 22:10

It can be life or death though. Look at some of the recent footage of wildfires. People have lost their homes, some have lost their lives and fire crews are putting themselves in danger. Wildlife suffers too. Unfortunately, the idiots who are still using disposable barbecues or fireworks will probably continue to do so because they can't see the danger.

Lots of things are a matter of life or death - swimming in in tidal surges, driving in poor visibility or on icy roads, etc.

Doesn't make it appropriate to use the alert system nationwide.