AIBU to think heatwave barbecue reactions are starting to feel a bit Covid?

[PatioDwellers]

To think the bbq/fires in the heatwave responses have the air of Covid about them …

’my neighbour is having a bbq what should I do’, Ring 101, call the fire brigade, take photos, people will die!

tinfoil bbqs in the countryside, tossers and rightly banned.

I think the alerts should be saved for when there is something concrete that I have to do. Like evacuate or (god forbid) duck and cover. Otherwise people stop paying attention because we get so much messaging everywhere all the time. You can issue info via the press and social media without it being a push message alert.

I had no BBQ or fire starting plans so it was a waste of useful adrenaline my end.

From a gas bbq on someone back patio? Link please.

I think people are missing some of the point of reducing BBQs and reducing risk of fire in general.

If we reduce the risk of ANY house fire, we'll be reducing the burden on fire services.

Some of the risk, however small, will come from home BBQs being unattended, not put out properly, or fuel not being used properly. So they're trying to reduce risk as much as possible.

Cigarette ends are obviously going to be a risk but I guess if you're the kind of muppet who flicks lit ends around you're probably not going to stop doing it.

I know, ridiculous. You would think common sense might prevail, and instead of agonising over what type of fire I have a right to start, just don't light a fire at all

https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/incidents/garden-fire-started-gas-bbq-spreads-aviary-shed-and-decking-2025-08-24-03-58

"Our firefighters were called to a garden fire in Harlow which started from a gas BBQ and spread to decking, a fence and a neighbouring aviary.
Thankfully, there were no birds inside. Crews quickly tackled the fire and made the area safe."

See my post above. This fire might not have caused a wildfire, but it did require the fire services to attend, thereby increasing the burden of the fire service and reducing their availability to attend when fires are greatly increased during drought conditions.

I hadn't realised this was so hard for the public to comprehend, but here we go.

My grass is still green! No tinderbox here in northwest England

This really made me laugh. This happened last year 😂

We live on the edge of 880 acres of woodland/heathland in the driest part of the south east. My own house is surrounded by huge mature trees and shrubs. It is a tinderbox out there, and I have no doubts whatsoever that it wouldn’t take much to start a significant fire. We would be idiots not to take that possibility seriously.

We have had chats with our adult children who live with us to think about the possibility of having to leave the house quickly. Genuinely, it has made me think about what I would be truly devastated to lose.

Around 10 days ago, some idiots were setting off fireworks just before midnight. Unfortunately, we couldn’t tell precisely where they were. I am amazed that the government has taken so long to act.

I’m guessing that people who think this is a non-issue live in areas of the country where there has been some rain. Here, unless you count a drizzle which lasted less than a minute, it hasn’t rained for at least two months, possibly more.

And once the drought ends, no doubt we shall have floods and trees coming down, due to roots being weakened by the drought. Wildlife is being hammered by this.

Yes I know, it has the date on the article. 😂

What do you think has happened between then and now that means gas BBQs are suddenly zero-risk of causing fires?

Did you not understand that such fires cause avoidable burden on the fire service?

(I'm assuming you're reading the thread and saw the request for 'proof' that gas BBQs at home cause fires)

they are far more uncommon nowadays

I agree.

You’ve misunderstood- the poster js asking for proof the recent fires were caused by standing bbqs - any of them.

i think people have some weird misunderstanding that posters asking for such evidence to the wild fire claims don’t understand what starts a fire under normal circumstances- but no, we realise that any gas or electrical item can cause a fire. We are not total idiots. However, we are also not going to stop using electricity to prevent fire, or stop driving our cars

i am pretty sure there was, and it was a very busy time for thieving. black market goods, pilfering around bombed houses

I despair sometimes.

You're an idiot OP. One of my neighbours had a bonfire on Monday. Terraced street, small gardens, hosepipe ban. They're idiots too.

Bet you don't vaccinate your kids either.

I didn't misunderstand, I literally addressed that point in my post.

You seem to think that the fire service can only ask to reduce risk of fires - all fires, because all fires require the fire services to attend and they are not infinite - if that request will reduce the risk of fires to zero.

Any reduction of risk, caused by individuals slightly modifying their behaviour, will have a significant effect country-wide.

Yeah it feels like Covid. If you mean selfish twats doing exactly as they please with no regard for safety of others and then denying there’s even a problem. And then wondering why so much damage has been done.

I'm assuming you don't have any type of wind at all where you live and have never actually seen a charcoal barbecue of any sort being used in real life.

It is not "fine to have a normal bbq on your patio". Not at the moment.

so again, why haven’t the government advised against home bbqs?

So why did you need the alert then if everyone having a bbq in this weather is a bellend? You really needed telling to realise that?

Pretty sure the gas ones aren’t the issue 🙄

It’s not like that at all. Millions of people have lost their livelihood because their land has been ruined. It’s a message from the fire service to prevent further idiots from using barbecues in the countryside. They are stretched beyond their means and exhausted. Your post sounds pathetic.

Cracking up at the last two posts.

"If home BBQs come with any risk of fire, they need to tell us"

"Do we really need people to tell us if it's risky to have a home BBQ?"

(Edit - the two posts before the previous one)

Entitled CF's are the problem

People are bloody weird if you mention watering your garden, too. We aren’t all under hosepipe bans you know 😂