UK Wildfire & Smoke Safety Companion
A UK-focused app that alerts residents near forests and moorlands when wildfire risk rises, sends smoke-health advisories during active blazes, and gives a one-tap evacuation checklist.
Residents and visitors in wildfire-prone parts of Scotland, Wales, and northern England
- Live smoke and air-quality alerts tied to your postcode, with health advice for kids, elderly, and asthmatics
- Evacuation checklist that works offline once an alert is active
- Fire-risk forecast for the next 72 hours using Met Office data and terrain
- Community reports layer where neighbours can post photos and road closures
The Cairngorms wildfire has burned for 12 days, displaced residents, and shows UK wildfire risk is no longer hypothetical.
564 wildfires recorded in England & Wales by June 2025 — a 717% increase vs same period in 2024 — and the Cairngorms blaze forced home/business evacuations, generating active public demand for UK wildfire alerts.Wildfire numbers this year surge past 500, as Fire Chiefs urge public caution ↗How does wildfire smoke affect your health? - BBC ↗
No UK-specific consumer wildfire alert app surfaced; Watch Duty is US-only (50 states + flooding) and Firemap.live is global/general; gov.uk provides only static advice pages, leaving clear room for a Scotland/Wales/northern England-focused product.Watch Duty: Wildfire & Floods - Apps on Google Play ↗FireMap: Track Wildfires in Real-Time with NASA & Local Data ↗
Closest analog Watch Duty runs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is explicitly free, with only an optional $25/yr membership — UK consumers show little precedent for paying subscription fees for emergency/safety apps, so monetization is weak.Watch Duty: Wildfire & Floods - Apps on Google Play ↗Wildfires - Prepare (gov.uk) ↗
2025 is the UK's worst wildfire year on record (47,879 hectares burned) with a 717% YoY incident surge, indicating a sustained climate-driven trend rather than a one-off event.Wildfire Statistics UK: Record Fires, Causes & Trends (2026) ↗Wildfire numbers this year surge past 500, as Fire Chiefs urge public caution ↗
Core data feeds already exist publicly (NASA FIRMS, EFFIS, UK Met Office, NFCC stats, gov.uk fire data) and can be wrapped in a push-notification + checklist shell, but credibility requires partnerships with regional fire/rescue services — moderate build, not trivial.FireMap: Track Wildfires in Real-Time with NASA & Local Data ↗Fire and rescue incident statistics, year ending June 2025 ↗