Yorkshire fire service warns against non-emergency calls over 'high capacity'

The fire severity index across the whole of Yorkshire remains “very high”, with the Met Office predicting another heatwave next week.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue had sent four crews and an aerial ladder to the scene of a house fire in Stourton, Leeds.

It said: “As you may have seen on our Facebook page we are currently operating at high capacity due to a large volume of emergency incidents.

“Please only call 999 for genuine emergencies, such as: fire or smoke, immediate danger to life, hazardous materials, road traffic collisions with injuries.

“Non-emergency calls can delay vital help for those in urgent need. We appreciate your cooperation, thank you for your support.”

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service responded to 23 incidents on the overnight shift.

This included a moorland fire in Arkengarthdale, where youths had lit a campfire which had spread across fields, and a crop field near Malton which had caught ablaze.

The fire severity index across the whole of Yorkshire remains “very high”, with the Met Office predicting another heatwave next week.

A high of 28C is expected across the region, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health alerts for Yorkshire and the Humber and much of England until 9pm on Tuesday.

They warn that the hot weather is likely to affect the wellbeing of the population and put additional pressure on healthcare services.

According to the National Fire Chiefs’ Council, there were around 400 wildfires in July, up from 17 in June.

Many parts of Yorkshire had less than a millimetre of rain last month.