Prince William met firefighters who had battled wildfires during the recent summer and said the 2026 season was the first in which he felt "worried about the scale of the wildfires." The encounter brought the issue of increasingly large and intense fire seasons into sharp relief for the royal.
During the meeting the prince spoke with front-line personnel who had been involved in tackling the summer blazes. He heard about the operational pressures they faced and the demands placed on resources as crews worked to contain fires across affected areas.
William’s remark captures a wider public concern about the rise in large wildfires in recent years. Experts and officials have repeatedly pointed to hotter, drier conditions as factors that can extend fire seasons and make blazes harder to control, placing additional strain on emergency services and local communities.
The visit follows calls for sustained support for firefighters and affected communities, including investment in prevention, resilience and recovery measures. By meeting crews directly, the prince highlighted the human and organisational challenges that accompany increasingly severe wildfire events.