Following a heatwave alert, the UK Met Office has now said that parts of England and Wales face an "exceptional" risk of wildfires in the coming days.

The authorities have raised the fire severity index to "exceptional" for most parts of England. "The risk is very high across much of central, southern and eastern England," said Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna.

"Going into Friday and the weekend, it starts to increase further, going into the highest category of exceptional risk," he added.

Mark Hardingham, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), told The Telegraph that this is the first time that he has witnessed such a situation in the last 32 years of his service.

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The warning comes days after the Met Office issued an amber warning for extreme heat, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 36ºC in some places in the coming days. The amber warning—the second-most severe after red—remains in place from Thursday through to the end of Sunday.

"Thanks to persistent high pressure over the UK, temperatures will be rising day-on-day through this week and an extreme heat warning has been issued," Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman said in a statement.

The UK Health Security Agency has also issued a heat-health alert for all regions in England and has urged people to stay cautious as the country prepares for warmer days ahead.

The agency has especially advised people to look after the most vulnerable to the hot weather, according to a report in The Independent.

The UK is not only facing high temperatures but is just a step away from drought as rivers and lakes run dry gradually. The situation is so severe that a village in Oxfordshire has already run dry.

There seems to be no respite from the heat in the coming weeks either. Forecasters have also warned that there will be "very little meaningful rain" in the coming weeks. "What we really need is a few weeks of light rain to soak into the ground," added Petagna.

Turkey forest fire
Wildfires have been reported in several European countries in the last few weeks. Photo: DHA
Climate Change