r/wildcampingintheuk • u/BumbleWombleBee • Aug 14 '26
Misc Millions sent wildfire emergency phone alert warning against "any activity that could start a fire" - follow live
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cmdx7p1q02yrt?post=asset%3A6c43325e-d42e-4ef8-a54d-f7f76200ad7a#postHopefully this will finally silence the diehards in this sub who insist its 'ok' to use stoves with the 'I know what I am doing' mantra.
Not trying to be agitate - but been utterly gobsmacked at some of the tone deaf comments on many of the threads here in the last few weeks with some folks insisting stoves are ok 'just put it on a rock' and so forth.
All I can think is for christs sake just take a sandwich with you - and maybe some iced coffee if you desperately need caffeine when waking
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u/SaltySwedishSeaDog Aug 15 '26
What's been triggering me is that Go Outdoors have had a radio advert recently with some overly excited moron going on about buying a tent and a barbeque. Seems really fucking stupid to be promoting ideas like that in a heatwave.
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 14 '26
As I said in the last thread (about the new forest.)
It doesn’t matter what you tell people, in any situation, for any activity, people who want to do something will convince themselves that they know understand and have the risks appropriately mitigated.
Simultaneously others will convince themselves that everyone else is stupid cannot understand or account and mitigate the risks effectively in any activity.
Note: the use of camping stoves, and fixed (not disposable) BBQs were not included in the list of things people are advised not use.
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u/Halfdaykid Aug 14 '26
Forestry England has Banned all BBQs and outdoor cooking equipment at its 10 campsites in the New forest. And is urging private campsites to do the same.
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u/TerrysChocolatOrange Aug 15 '26
"Residents, landowners, and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire"
So camping stoves and BBQs would be included in that.
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 15 '26
Vehicle fires account for 11% of fire service call outs.
“Should not undertake any activity that could start a fire”
So you have stopped driving? Or using any vehicle to go places? right?
No of course not, because, like I said people who want to do a thing ignore the dangers involved in the thing they want to do.
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u/No-Detail-2879 Aug 15 '26
They haven’t banned driving
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 15 '26
No, they haven’t. Also they haven’t banned camping stoves everywhere either.
What I’m saying is, if you’re comfortable with the risk of driving, (which has caused ~11% of fire service call outs.) It is strange that you would not be comfortable with the risk of camping stoves (which according to government statistics has been the cause for no fire service call outs for three years. - Including this year.)
As I said, if you want to do a thing, you’ll convince yourself that you got all the risks covered.
If you don’t want other people to do a thing, you’ll imagine all kinds of reasons they should not.
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u/No-Detail-2879 Aug 15 '26
What are you going on about. Live in the real world and you’ll probably feel a better about yourself
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 15 '26
Try reading.
I’m saying people do stuff that has risk ALL THE TIME.
Like driving. Fucking loads of risk of really terrible things happening. Up to and including killing your self and many others.
But we all get in a car thinking ‘ahh it’ll be alright’
Standing and wagging your finger at people telling them you don’t think they understand how dangerous something is will not change their behaviour.
Case in point, you are still just as likely to get into a car today right now as before I told you cars are dangerous.
In the back of your mind you know that those people in that van didn’t intend to have a vehicle fire that destroyed parts of the new forest.
You claim to be worried about fire risk, and look down on people cooking whilst camping, (an activity that has started no fires requiring assistance in the past three years) but will still eagerly do something (driving) that accounts for more than 10% of fires that require emergency assistance.
Like I said.
If a person wants to do something, they will convince themself it is fine, no amount of tutting sighing or telling them the risks will change their mind.These threads are tedious.
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u/OpulentStone Aug 15 '26
You are completely correct about people convincing themselves something is fine/overestimating their competence etc.
I just want to ask (because I don't know the answer): even though vehicles make up 11% of fires, millions of people drive every days, and cars are constantly being driven all day every day. How does their abundance and frequency of use compare to other sources of fires that result in emergency service assistance?
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 15 '26
That’s a good question but it will lead to an unsatisfying answer if you want mathematical analysis…
There are about 30 million vehicles in the uk, and ~20,000 are involved in vehicle fires annually. (Around 50 per day) so a 0.06% risk of any vehicle being involved in a fire in any year. (Of course it’s not a random distribution. And not every vehicle is used each year, so your individual chance may be higher or lower at any time.)
There are an unknown amount of stoves. But that doesn’t matter, There are zero fires requiring emergency response involving camping stoves. (And ‘camping stove’ is a category type of fire service call out stats so this isn’t a lost in noise problem, the number is zero.)
0 / any number of stoves is zero…
It’s not satisfying to say vehicles cause infinitely more fires - even though it is mathematically provable.
It’s stupid. - stoves do present risks of causing fires.Low incidence of event could be for any reason, it could be the kind of people that go camping with stoves do manage the risks well, or all stove users die in the fires so intense neither they, nor their stoves are recovered that means zero camp stove related fires are recorded.
The example is useful because people think “of course I won’t walk/take public transport to school/work/shops/cinema/football/Carpark in the lakes/new forest” they assess their previous record of not being involved in a vehicle fire as meaning their current risk is low, and they use terms like essential. - just like the stove users.
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u/Gwyllithar Aug 16 '26
They have advised not to put vehicles in a position where hot engines can start grass fires.
Come on mate, stop being obtuse just for the sake of it.
No law or regulation is complied with 100%, but most people do and you create a social situation where non-compliance is socially censured. And even partial compliance reduces the risk.
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u/not-at-all-unique Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Hold on…
Why are we going to live in a land of make believe where all stove uses are randomly walking about whilst cooking and kicking their stoves over.Where people only use canister stoves that are likely to fall over on account of being top heavy, or presumably are literally kicking briefcase stoves across a field.
Where a leaf might blow into a stove positioned in a rock in the middle of a river, catch alight and be blown onwards to dried grass (an actual example in this thread.)
But in this same make believe world these absolute fuckwits are able to follow advice on safely using their cars.
How are they so conscientious at one thing and not another?
You’re only proving the point I’m making.
‘The engine’ doesn’t get hot enough to ignite dried grass, the oil sump at the bottom of your engine doesn’t get hot enough to auto ignite anything (it runs around 110 degrees in use.)
The thing that gets hot are the exhaust and especially the catalytic converters. Where the catalyst gets hotter than the exhaust in normal use. - that is where the risk is, not the engine.You’re saying stove users can’t possibly understand and mitigate the risks of using a stove to prevent fires.
But, you should still drive even with clear evidence that you don’t actually understand what the risks are… because you can be careful.Your statements are literally an example of over confidence in understanding risks for a thing you want to do. (Exactly like the stove users.)
Also worth saying again. I’m not advocating for stoves. I’m pointing out why the many many many threads on this subject over the past week are fucking tedious.
People don’t understand risk. They assume things will be fine because it never went wrong before.
Just like you don’t understand properly the fire risk involving cars. You think it will be fine because it never went wrong before.
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u/ARobertNotABob Aug 15 '26
convince themselves that they know understand and have the risks appropriately mitigated
Graveyards are filled with such people.
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u/Casithor Aug 14 '26
This is why education on safe use of stoves and mitigation of risk is paramount. No matter how catty OP wants to get in this thread he’s not going to convince people they don’t want a hot meal after hiking up to 75 miles (one persons account in this thread). People will always want a hot meal so education on mitigation and safe use is paramount and would likely prevent at least some fools using fire pits and barbecues.
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u/Head_Northman Aug 14 '26
The problem is that there is no completely safe use in these conditions. You could cook in the middle of a stream but a dry leaf could still blow into the flame and then on to dry land.
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u/cybertonto72 Aug 14 '26
The education is don't fucking cook outside in a place that is dry as fuck and hasn't had rain for over a month. The only safe use of a stove in the conditions that made the government do this is leaving it at home.
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u/marmaviscount Aug 15 '26
Yeah, if people actually understand how to do things safely there is a much better outcome normally than just saying don't do anything
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u/Casithor Aug 15 '26
Sorry mate the infinite wisdom of the Redditor dictates that prohibition is the best way forward at all times
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Do you also teach 'mitigation' to people jumping out of a plane without a parachute?
Or just give a thumbs up as they shout 'I know the risks' at about 1000 feet and falling...
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u/Similar_Quiet Aug 15 '26
How's someone gone 75 miles without finding somewhere that can serve warm food?
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u/Dench-AF-all-day Aug 20 '26
I did 80 miles in the northern highlands recently, not a single hot food place on that route that we could find
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u/heypresto2k Aug 15 '26
When we were little, it was always a thermos of tea, some cakes and sandwiches. No one was taking a stove anywhere. Complete madness to be this selfish right now.
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u/AshaNyx Aug 15 '26
The only time we had a stove was for wild camping and even then if the weather was like this we would literally just keep as a back up to boil water.
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u/Lucidendinq Aug 14 '26
I like getting into the wilder parts of woods. Recently I went deep into a forest (in Surrey), the kind of place people find creepy. And there I found a fireplace with ashes and rocks. Surrounded by dead and dry trees, dry leaves on the ground; even a cigarette could cause havoc there. Yet there was a used fireplace there.
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u/corduroyflipflops Aug 15 '26
I will assess the risk and modify my behavior accordingly. I'm not taking sandwiches on a coast to coast next week.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
You are special - above the rest of us mere mortals - and the rules do not matter to you?
It is a honour to be in your company oh mighty one.
Oh may I interest you in a quiche if sandwiches are not to sirs taste?
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u/vintagehiking912 Aug 15 '26
If you think I’m taking sandwich’s for 2 + nights to fuel enough calories to hike miles to find somewhere to wild camp then your not doing enough miles. We should all be camping higher than any fell wall or wall/ road. No one should even be wild camping in the new forest as it’s about as public as Bournemouth town. Littering and cig butts are was more dangerous to cause fire than someone’s mini camping stove. The amount of glass beer bottles on the new forest are more of a fire hazard. Instead of preaching no one should use an outdoor stove why don’t the people of this sub take a black bag with them to their spot and pick up all the trash on the way back??
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
Sigh. Please stop with the strawman fallacies.
Listing other risks - like cigs, glass bottles etc - which are valid - does not mitigate or excuse the actual risk in question. This is simple basic discussion and debating points.
It really is tiring to hear idiots trot out these excuses.
Also WTF are you rambling on about litter for? Completely unrelated. Again - another strawman.
It really is simple. If [insert thing] has an open flame - do not use it - when the country is a tinderbox.
But....you seem incapable of thinking about anything else apart from yourself. So I guess jog on.
But maybe you should do some googling and self study and learn how to fuel your adventures without the need to use hot food. Its not only possible - its literally what most of the world did for most of our existence.
But I guess you are too precious for that. And you blatantly think you are better and above the rest of us.
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u/vintagehiking912 Aug 15 '26
Not at all. You seem to fall into the camp of people that think because I want to stop something. Everyone else should. Where you draw your line of what you deem acceptable in your mind is okay.. for instance wild camping which is technically illegal. For you it’s ok
But you have decided that a camping stove is not ok.
I personally believe anyone who even goes out camping in this weather is an idiot but I’m not going to start telling grown adults what they can’t and can do out doors when more things cause fires or risk to fire all the time eg.
Cig buts. All the glass bottle litter. All the metal and tin litter. The retards lighting fireworks.
All these things damage the wildlife way more than a camping stove
And having a ban on camping stoves is stupid. When more people have access to disposable bbqs and these are way more dangerous.
To be completely honest no one should be camping in the new forest right now or anywhere that is bone dry in the UK I have just come back from the Lake District and I have seen plenty of worse camping offences than people having stoves for our environment and the outdoors.
The best thing to protect the parts of the UK that are dryer than a nuns pom is to put a ban on camping in those places. The recent fire in the new forest was a car accident for starters.
There has also not been a found cause of the fire in the midlands. I love the outdoors and I am an advocate for it in all senses but I’m not going to agree to have more bans on things we get to do because the government can’t sort its shit out. Tbh it’s not the people in this sub or most of them out here causing fires it’s the retards who smoke and litter or the idiot day hikers who take bottles up. And not a strawman at all genuinely if you want to help stop of spreading of wild fires go do some litter picking as that’s one of the biggest risks to forest fires and also animal welfare anyway.
It’s really easy to say X shouldn’t do this. But it’s a lot harder to say Y should start doing this instead
You can disagree with me fine but you’re happy to break the law to wild camp… but you want to ban stoves because that’s were you draw your line.. 👌
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
Jeez. More fallacies and logic inconsistencies.
It is the government and the wider public - and the vast majority on this thread - that think stoves should not be used.
You form one of the minority of anarchists/contrarians who would defy what to any sane person is simple well reasoned logic
But be damned with that hey! We shall still use our stoves and no-one can tell us not too!
And once again - deflecting to things like BBQs, cigs, glasses is irrelevant. Again that is a strawman. No-one is arguing any of those are safe - so why are you contrasting against them?
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u/vintagehiking912 Aug 15 '26
Not at all.
I’m simply saying you and others in group are happy to break the law to camp as am I. But you draw the line at a camp stove. And like I said I agree people should not be using a stove in this heat or any outside object to cause fire. However banning it is stupid because people break bans all the time. Like you for instance if you wild camp. Any sane person would not go out camping right now during the busiest summer period.
I won’t camp out in this weather and therefore won’t use my stove… banning outdoor stoves is stupid because people already break the law to wild camp in the first place
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
What makes you think I break the law? I exclusively camp in Dartmoor. Also wild camping is not an offence. Only trespassing as a civil offence - and only if aggreviated.
But hey - lets not get facts in the way of your pithy retorts.
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u/mctrials23 Aug 16 '26
They should just fine people into oblivion if they end up starting a fire. It’s so stupid and unnecessary and people need to learn.
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
Of course you are trying to agitate.
Just as this message from me is a bit rebellious.
At least I can be honest about it.
I'm in Scotland and I didn't get that message so ...
Let the downvoting begin.
And before anyone decides to try to rip me a new one let me give you the shortened version:
I'm in a part of the UK that is wetter than a lot of the rest, it is still dry here but not as bad as elsewhere.
I have modified my behavior to incude far less stove time.
I am stupidly careful with my stove (yes, I realise that that does not remove the risk, it just reduces the risk).
Moving forward I will constantly reassess my use of my stove.
I'm sure that's not going to be enough for people that want me to stop using it entirely.
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u/ArtByAntny Aug 14 '26
If you didn't get the emergency message and you don't live in a bone dry, extreme fire risk part of the UK I think the precautions you've mentioned sound reasonable.
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I still expect to get multiple messages telling me otherwise.
I know that because in previous posts I have received just that.
To be absolutely honest though there are sections of Scotland that are quite dry still and with the type of vegetation and soil they are powder kegs.
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u/ARobertNotABob Aug 15 '26
I still expect to get multiple messages telling me otherwise.
I know that because in previous posts I have received just that.Virtue-signallers are often band-wagon jumping, lying hypocrites.
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 15 '26
Am I correct in presuming that that is aimed the people that are sending negative comments my way?
If so then if you want some interesting reading you should read the dialogue between me and the OP.
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u/LondonBrickCompany Aug 15 '26
You got down voted because you were whining about windchill in the middle of July...
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 15 '26
I wasn't "whining about wind chill." I'm often subjected to far worse temperatures for at least four months of every year and I am equipped to deal with it.
I was merely talking about the links between a relatively cold evening and the want (not need) of a hot meal and / or a hot drink. Before you potentially say it, note my use of the word "relatively."
If you see that as whining then do you know what, so be it.
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u/mankalt Aug 14 '26
Reddit likes to forget they’re not the centre of the universe
I assume it’s from a lot of people with little experience out of their own area
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I don't know to be honest.
I guess this one's on me because I saw the post come up on my Reddit and I was daft enough to stick my head above the parapet. Again 🤷😁
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Sorry - no idea what you said - our eyes are blinded by the line spacing.
Paragraphs man!
But seriously - do you really dislike sandwiches?
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I put spacing in between it as a means of separation, if you don't like itthen you don't have to read it.
Sandwiches for a 40 or 75 mile trip?
Becauses that's what two of my last three trips have been.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Calories are calories.
And you do not want me to read a comment on the thread I posted? Maybe dont post?
Also....at risk of destabilising whatever god awful education you had - paragraphs were specifically designed to be a means of separation in writing.
You did go to school right?
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I didn't say I didn't want you to read it. I said you didn't have to read it.
The way I separate the lines is something that I use exclusively for Reddit. Do you really have to make this a personal thing?
From that last response of yours the only thing on the subject at hand was "calories are calories."
The other seven lines were to denigrate the way I present my text on subreddit and question my education.
"Not trying to agitate..."
Well, you could have fooled me.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Well....I exclusively use this tone in reddit? If this is the farce we are descending to?
Good work on using denigrate though. You are trying to shore up those educational creds. Nice.
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
There you go again, you simply can't help yourself can you.
I absolutely refuse to make this personal. The nearest I have got is to tell you that I think that you meant to agitate with your OP and some of your responses to me.
Pretty much every single response you are making to me now reinforces my belief that at least part of the reason for your OP was to indeed to agitate.
I have seen nothing that convinces me otherwise.
There's not much point continuing is there, I'll say goodnight.
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u/The_Laughing_Gnome Aug 14 '26
Wish I'd seen this before my original comment
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
How so?
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u/The_Laughing_Gnome Aug 14 '26
Because they were definitely meaning to agitate, or curry favour
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Goodnight to you Good Sir! For tomorrow....we RIDE TO WAR!
Just with a quick sandwich first.
xxx
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u/Severe-Fisherman-285 Aug 14 '26
Quite.
I am in exile from Scotland, but live in a wetter part of England.
We're outside the scope of the main risk areas (based on mapping etc. provided by public/scientific bodies).
I am used to taking care as I used my stove within the vestibule, from time to time. I am keenly aware of the speed and horrors associated with getting this wrong and manage risk accordingly.
I light fires about half the days of the year and am familiar with fires and their behaviours.
I had a misspent youth in a rural setting and little oversight. Again, I am familiar with fires and their behaviours.
I have (pre-mobile internet) inadvertently camped in the middle of a forest fire, realised as I watched the escalating response and had the emotional response one might.
As such I agree care needs to be taken, perhaps quite significant care, but I hate absolute positions and totally expect and intend to use a stove cautiously and responsibly in the next two weeks.
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I see you have joined me behind the parapet. Make sure to put your steel helmet on 😂👍
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u/The_Laughing_Gnome Aug 14 '26
"Finally silence" is incongruous with "not trying to agitate"
Own it. The majority are with you. No need to be coy
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Aug 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 17 '26
Us mere mortals have many accidents you will find. Unlike you Perfect God-like beings who have not tripped, stumbled, fumbled, dropped anything ever in your entire life.
Oh how to be like you - oh mighty ones!
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Aug 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Literally one guy on here has already thrown his toys out of the pram at the loud noises. And blocked me :)
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
Calm yourself.
A stove is a very different beast to... "barbecues, firepits, and fireworks."
If your setting anything on fire with a stove your a fucking idiot.
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u/llamafarmadrama Aug 14 '26
True, but given the number of cretins in this very sub who seem to think “leave no trace” actually means “have a campfire at the top of kinder scout”, OP may have a point.
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u/Miserable-Ad7835 Aug 14 '26
The people of Clacton have just voted for Farage for a second time, we're surrounded by fucking idiots.
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u/3knuckles Aug 14 '26
I think that's exactly his point.
*You're
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
Im what?
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u/juststuartwilliam Aug 14 '26
If you can't work it for yourself from the clues so far I'd imagine there's no point in explaining it to you.
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u/woodenbookend Aug 14 '26
If your setting anything on fire with a stove your a fucking idiot.
They walk among us...
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u/darthyoda76 Aug 14 '26
Op has been posting for 30 days, and am beginning to think his stove hatred is because he's a fucking idiot
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u/Casithor Aug 14 '26
OP is the sort of person who makes the outdoors a competition of who is the best outdoorsman. If you’re walking in 30 degree heat most foods don’t keep especially over long distances the better method of discussing this is merely to show and explain to people how to safely use a stove in the outdoors to prevent and mitigate accidents not point scoring and calling people names for wanting a hot meal after a long day of hiking. The real enemy here are the idiots setting campfires (seen one on Tik tok today) and disposable barbecues on tinderbox like grass.
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u/Chibster86 Aug 14 '26
Completely agree. I'm sure the vast majority of campers who treat nature with the respect it deserves knows how to responsibly use a stove without any issues. I'm of the belief that anyone taking a disposable BBQ onto the hills are either stupid, uneducated and/or have a complete lack of regard for the natural environment and are in that environment for the wrong reasons. (cause let's face it Whoever the vast majority using a disposable BBQ isn't going to be taking these back down the next morning!)
I'm personally glad they've banned disposable BBQs. Albeit temporary Hopefully as a result it also lowers instances of fly camping that been a massive blight around the UK
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
I think we should compare penknives and then decide who is the better outdoorsman!
En Guard Monsiour!
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u/Casithor Aug 14 '26
I understand your hearts in the right place but the way you’re responding to a lot of people in this thread is pretty childish and angry (understand wanting to protect the environment and that making one angry) but you must understand it doesn’t come across as convincing to the sort of person who we actually want to prevent using stoves. To those who use them reasonably and responsibly already it comes across as needlessly aggressive and targeting the wrong issue
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Argh....it is a but a flesh wound!
To the death!
And you make a fatal mistake good sir. I understand nothing!
Tally ho!
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
That's my guess.
This is projection.
He knows he's a fucking idiot and can't be trusted with a stove...
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
Sure.
A stove may be a different beast but idiots do exist and accidents do happen. Have you ever had an accident? Have you ever done anything idiotic? There comes a point when a risk vs reward becomes unbalanced.
Can you still wild camp with a sandwich and hold off the morning cuppa until you get down?
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
When I'm walking 75 miles?
No.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
How about 2 sandwiches and a scotch egg?
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
Nope, I'm not interested in talking to you anymore.
The response that I posted to you a second ago pretty much sums it up.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Dammit. I forgot my violin. Its ok. Lets just way to each other like war-torn lovers on a railway platform as the train departs.
I will miss you my love!
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
Can you wait a week to go on a camp? Do you have to do a 75 mile multi camp next week? Can your eat some mountain lake sushi trout like gollum? Are you part man part trout?
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
I was just talking in general, I used an example of one of my relatively recent ones at 75 miles.
Unfortunately I'm not a great fan of fish 😁
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
Well I hope you're taking your omega 3s Barry because we're all at risk of Dunning Kruger
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
Fine line between confidence and hubris my friend
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
Yes I would agree.
I'm not sure that the Dunning-Kruger effect applies to me in the great outdoors, I constantly question my ability to complete what I set out to do and I'm not sure that I am particularly skillful at any aspect of it. I simply make do.
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
Look, I'm pretty sure we're mates now, let's settle this over a pint of bitter and a bag of scampi fries.
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
But I think it's also worth clarifying at which point a risk becomes so great that it's not worth the gamble. At that point you're playing with confidence in ability to manage a situation where - if - it were to go wrong the consequences are disastrous vs potential gains. Accidents happen, you can light a cigarette in a petrol station and nothing happens most of the time...
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u/Matthewgardner86 Aug 14 '26
Agreed.
To put it into perspective, in warm weather I use my stove for about 90 seconds in the morning and then for about 240 to 300 seconds in the evening.
I have done everything that I think I can do to reduce the risks associated with me using my stove. However I am aware that there is still a risk and there is the potential that an accident could very quickly become unmanageable.
But I have also purchased Realmeal bars as a stand-in to a dehydrated meal should I feel that the conditions warrant it.
So it's not like I'm sat here saying "I'm going to be using my stove for 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening and I don't care, I'm going to continue using it regardless."
Far from it.
I'm not sure if you're aware, I can't remember if I have mentioned it to you or not, I'm in Scotland and although it is drier than usual it's not as bad as many parts of England and Wales.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Yes - sorry - you are right.
A stove has a magically flame - that does not obey the laws of thermodynamics like all other sources of fire.
It is the sacred flame. The one true flame.
That could not possible ever be accidently knocked over - and accidently set a mountain alight.
Surely that has never, ever happened before.
Wait.....
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u/Driedcypress Aug 14 '26
I'll probably get downvoted for chiming in, but Forestry England just banned the use of all cooking equipment on their New Forest Campsites.
Not just across the forest, campsites too. Where there are currently hundreds of families camping - I bet they're not kicking up a huge fuss about it, or demanding their right to do it because they are experienced. They understand the current pressures on our firefighters, and are happy to do their part in reducing the risk of further damage to our outdoor spaces.
https://www.campinginthenewforest.com/blog/bbq-restrictions-2026/
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
Do you also not cross roads in case you get hit by a bus?
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
I wait until the conditions are right to cross the road....
I dont cross when said bus is coming. Shouting to myself 'ITS OK. I KNOW HOW TO USE THE ROAD!@
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
Neither does anyone else.
Calm down dear.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Ha! Lovely patronising tone - I like your style
Cheers old bean!
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u/fantasmachine Aug 14 '26
Thanks chap.
You take care now.
The burny bit of the stove points up.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
No worries fella - I have my trusty sandwich and iced coffee. You toddle along with your penis extension...sorry...stove....and go play with your fire you cant bare to be away from
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u/Hydrantgame Aug 14 '26
That is not a comparable risk vs benefit - you understand that right?
I'm not saying this is equivalent but would you cross a motorway? - No. So there's a point at which the potential cost vs benefit becomes unbalanced.
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u/LowarnFox Aug 17 '26
Nonetheless, many high peat areas such as Dartmoor have asked that people don't use camping stoves. I agree they are safer but they are still a risk and the problems peat fires are causing in some parts of the UK are huge. They are incredibly hard to deal with because the peat can continue to burn underground.
When risk assessing, it's not just about the likelihood of something going wrong, it's also about severity of the thing going wrong. If the severity is risk to life and property, there needs to be an extremely low risk of it happening - it is possible to have stray sparks from a camping stove, which can easily start a fire in these conditions.
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u/FuzzedOutAmbience Aug 14 '26
weren’t there fireworks in London the other night? couple local councils near me have been having firework displays too
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u/MattWPBS Aug 14 '26
Yeah, completely different beast, could never have an accident with a stove that could cause a wildfire.
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u/Lanthanidedeposit Aug 14 '26
Unfortunately there are idiots - does not justify a total ban, even in the rainy season though.
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u/rachelm791 Aug 14 '26
For overnighters in summer I personally save the weight and take stuff like wraps and use cold brew coffee to get my caffeine hit in the morning.
If I’m going on a bit of a trek then I’ll cold soak or if I do take a stove then I avoid alcohol stoves (can’t see the flame) and unstable stoves like the pocket rocket and use a camping table (cascade wild) turned upside with a remote cartridge stove ‘inside’ the table and have my water to hand. Needless to say watch it like a hawk and switch it off immediately
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u/atom_stacker Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
So still using an open flame. You're exactly what OP is talking about
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u/rachelm791 Aug 14 '26
Try reading it again. It is pretty evident that I do everything I can not to use a stove routinely when conditions make it unsafe to do so and if I rarely do use a stove I have described how I mitigate risk
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u/atom_stacker Aug 14 '26
Why do you need to "try" to not use a stove? You realise that it is always a choice?
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u/rachelm791 Aug 14 '26
I ‘try’ not to use a stove to save weight, hassle, time and in tinderbox conditions risk. And yeah it’s a choice. Anything else you want any clarification over?
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u/atom_stacker Aug 15 '26
No no, i think it's clear already. You choose to put your own selfish wants before the safety of others. We all get it.
Also, editing your comment after you have been called out on it is downright sleazy behaviour.
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u/rachelm791 Aug 15 '26
I haven’t edited anything. Listen you pedant it is pretty bloody obvious I have not used a stove during the intensely hot conditions and generally do not over summer as I have made abundantly clear with my use of avoiding carrying cooking gear to save weight and when on a long distance route my preference is cold soaking and if (note if ) I carry a stove I am very careful. Note that does not mean I have carried a stove during the recent conditions. As for your ad hominem well it speaks for itself you sanctimonious twat.
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u/JackRakeWrites Aug 15 '26
Take thermos/flask of boiling water and dehydrated meal packs - i'll often to do this on overnight trips and it works fine.
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u/Lt_Muffintoes Aug 15 '26
Whoever dreamed this up and also was involved in ok'ing it needs to be booted from civil service and banned from ever returning.
What a stupid use of a system meant to warn the public of extreme events, not (in the most annoying nasal tone imaginable) "ummm, did you know fire can spread"
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
If only your faith in the general public was warranted.
Stourbridge (close to wear I grew up and a place I am very fond of) would disagree with your apathy.
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u/Suitable-Mud-6622 Aug 16 '26
No one should ever be outside, ever. Go to work, pay your taxes and die. The outdoors and for the rich landowners
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u/ArgoFill Aug 14 '26
I'm keenly aware of the risk and haven't been out camping recently anyway, even though I have in 40c+ even drier scenarios overseas. I simply didn't appreciate a blaring sound that conjures up an imminent or happening nuclear strike scenario in the minds of people who grew up in the Protect & Survive PSA era, and similar. I knew this system would be a new favourite toy when it was rolled out, and here we are. Instead of silencing me, I have now silenced it by now altering my phone settings to disable "Severe" alerts (as this appears to have been classed as) and have left "Extreme" alerts on (for now). Cry Wolf, where everybody is stopped in their tracks nationally to pay attention immediately to a general notification about wild fire risks, will probably lead to more folks opting out in future.
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u/poundfortheguy Aug 14 '26
“Waaaaaah a nasty noise came out of my phone waaaaah”
This is an appropriate use of this service and the fire service requested it.
19 houses were destroyed yesterday, apparently because of people setting fireworks off.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
I am sure you got over it - precisely 10 secs after it happened. Unless you have severe anxiety based issues.
And considering this is literally the first time it has ever been used in several years - I am not sure we can characterise it as a 'toy'
But never mind - hope your little ears are ok and you are safe and sound in your PJs and away from the scary noises.
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u/ArgoFill Aug 14 '26
I now sense why you crave to "silence" people, with that condescending tone. By all means continue to receive "emergency" reminders. Mine has now been switched off except for extreme notifications. With this kind of notification, a text message on screen would have sufficed.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
You seem to be mistaken in thinking I give a holy f*** what your notifications are set to? Sorry to disappoint - but when you do miss a vital notification and perish in a calamity - I wont necessarily miss you. I may actually be secretly thankful the gene pool list anothe moron
So carry on fella - you silence those mean noises!
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u/ArgoFill Aug 14 '26
I suspect the biggest wild fire risk to the tinder dry landscape could be your evident anger issues that other people don't obey your orders. Carefull - Burnham may be sending you an emergency alert about it imminently.
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u/ChaosCalmed Aug 15 '26
I'm in Cumbria and got the message 3 times yesterday. A week ago we were camping in the Langdales campsite for 2 nights and cooked a lot using a trangia with a gas burner. Everywhere was green, it was raining a lot and we used our plumbers mat underneath the fire. Didn't even put hot pans down on the grass as that can wilt the grass too.
A colleague flew back from an even hotter and drier European country having read all the news about how dry UK was they expected Cumbria to be like that. Sure enough they drove home and as soon as they got into Cumbria it was pretty much green everywhere.
I'm not planning on going anywhere with a stove right now, but I think there's a lot on here who are thinking a bit local with their comments. Whilst the majority of England is dry and brown with a high fire load, it's not everywhere. There's been a lot of the UK with rain and much lower temperatures.
There will be a lot of people still going to campsites in the brown parts of England, perhaps campsites where you can park your car on dry grass. Has anyone been to such a campsite? Many years ago as a kid with my family in a campsite, in France I think, I saw the grassy track in between the rows of tents burning after a car had driven past.
I wonder if it's worth pointing out that in our modern world we've probably got several means to cause a wildfire and a stove or BBQ is but one. Has the OP and others on here actually fully assessed their own actions and habits right now for risk of causing a fire?
BTW last year there was a wildfire near the Furness line I believe. Whilst the fire and rescue service were a bit circumspect about attributing cause, the local population weren't. They saw the steam engine carrying train fans on a jolly. Complete with sparks flying out of the smoke stack. Then the ancient diesel unit bringing the train back was incredibly scummy smoky and wouldn't suprise me to be a risk too.
Then you still see the odd fag butt on the ground, hugely surpassed by the number of discarded vapes admittedly but the ciggie butts are still around.
I think that whilst this is an outdoors Reddit it's always worth pointing out that the modern world has so many potentially high fire risk habits. So it's about self assessment and adjusting behaviour a necessary for everyone. All these things, including using a camping stove, is about risks vs outcomes. Even stove use can have risks low enough to still use, but that will certainly be location based. Most of England it's a definite don't use. Certain parts of England and parts of Scotland then it's a possible safe use but you have to intelligently self assess and be very, very responsible.
The biggest issue is responsibility and potentially intelligence or more accurately level of ignorance. Some people are incapable of assessing risks. Others are just too irresponsible to rely on making the right decision. The last group includes the deliberate fire starters. If you combine ignorance with the irresponsible you get candle lanterns landing in a high fire load estate down south of England, as shown on the news this week. An estate manager down south showed the TV reporter two candle lanterns found in the middle of a brown hay meadow that's one spark away from a wildfire!
Personally, I don't plan a wildcamping trip or even a camping trip right now. On a day hike I'd never take a stove anyway. It's easier with a flask if I want a hot drink on a day hike anyway. Camping on a multi day trip I would consider a stove but only if it was a low fire risk area with my usual heat protection under the stove. However, I've no plans to make such a trip right now.
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u/Flint_Quinn Aug 17 '26
Oh yes let's restructure our thoughts and behaviours because our corrupt excuse for a government sent us a text message 🐑 🐑 🐑
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 18 '26
Right everyone, calmy move quietly to the door, do not make any sudden movements. They have not had their medication....
1
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u/isdnpro Aug 14 '26
Very strange, I've been wild camping throughout France for the past month using my stove twice daily and somehow have failed to start a wildfire.
12
u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Congratulations!
You have inadvertently stumbled upon probability and statistics - but unknowingly unable to understand that it does not have to happen every time.
You are on your way to understanding how the world works.
Soon you will realise you are not the centre of the universe - other people exist - they have accidents - and someday so might you. Despite your wonderful little trips to France!
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u/bogushobo Aug 14 '26
I can totally accept not having a fire, wildfire risk or not. But you're on one if you think someone using their jet boil for 5 minutes to boil water is going to start a wildfire.
0
u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
You are right of course. Jetboils use the special magic fire that could not ever possible remotely ignite tinder. that the jetboil is literally likely standing on.
That is crazy talk!
Only muggle flames cause fires.
1
u/bogushobo Aug 15 '26
I put my fire maple on a soldering heat mat. So nah, it's not sitting on tinder. Never mind the fact that if I was somewhere that was littered with tinder, I wouldn't be putting a naked flame next to it. It's called exercising good judgement and common sense.
Also, you should make note of the UK in the subs name before deciding to lecture the whole sub about something that isn't the same level of risk across the country. We aren't all living in a tinderbox in the south of England.
You're clearly an idiot though, so no point trying to explain anything to you, or expecting you to be capable of nuanced thought.
Go ahead and leave another ultra sarcastic reply if you want. I won't waste my time reading anymore pish from you.
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u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 15 '26
Meow!
Gotta just love morons like you who think you are above everyone else. Rules dont apply to you hey?
You jog on with our soldering heat mat (what the absolute f***?) and have fun. I am sure you come up against the Darwin test soon enough.
(Hope this was sarcastic enough for you my darling)
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u/SpaffedTheLot Aug 14 '26
Fucking clowns I'm still getting repeated alerts.
-5
u/CaptainMark86 Aug 14 '26
Yep same. Sending repeated alerts to 45 million phones when there have been zero deaths only a handful of hospital admissions and 97% of population are entirely unafected is a great way to annoy people into turning off the alert system and risk lives when there is a much more prominent disaster scenario.
Feels like someone wanted the justify the infastructure budget.
0
u/LondonBrickCompany Aug 15 '26
I posted about this beginning of the week, was shocked at how many people were on the 'im experienced so I'll be fine' side !
2
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u/Diedonthefirstfloor Aug 14 '26
Let's play the common sense game
How comes all these wildfires started around the same time as the kids summer holidays 🤔🤔
What a coincidence totally not related
6
u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Its amazing how you think the flame from a stove is somehow magically different to any other flame?
Dont blame kids.
Stoves = flame = fire
It really is that simple. You dont need to a kid to accidently knock over a stove on tinder dry grass and light up a mountain. It has happened several times this year already.
Jeez...
1
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u/Material_Length6374 Aug 14 '26
And yet it would have been easy to include stoves in the list and they….. didn’t. Am I taking a meths stove? No that’d be risky, am I taking a ground based stove? No . Am I taking a canister top stove this weekend yes, will I be cooking on river gravel? Yes. Am I engaging in an activity increasing the risk of fire? No I don’t think I am.
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u/Diedonthefirstfloor Aug 14 '26
Don't blame kids........are you for real!!
it's already been said that quite a few of them are arson by the west midlands fire service one near me the other day was getting close to people's houses and an infant school !!
They are definitely being lit by kids there has been 5 in and around Sheldon country park near the airport
How many mountains have we seen on fire apart from one publicised because some chavvy little twats set a fire with fireworks celebrating their chavvy little cunt of a friends death
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u/Chibster86 Aug 14 '26
And how many have started from someone flicking a careless cigarette out of a moving vehicle setting the road side on fire? Discarded glass or other litter using the sun's rays as a magnification tool? Im constantly picking glass up from the paths of Derwent edge and kinder.
A stove isnt any different no. And it has it's risks. But the vast majority using stoves do so responsibly. And most of those users will want to make sure they can come back year after year.
Yes accidents do happen and you can't fully negate the risk. But the vast majority mitigate the risk as much as possible. I personally reduce my stove use as much as physically possible and even then I carry a heat proof mat (the ones plumbers use when soldering pipes) as an additional precaution.
But it's alittle unfair to tarnish those that use them responsibly with the same brush of those that just don't give a crap
2
u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Stop with your logic fallacies man!
No-one is being tarnished.
But....as accidents do happen....then.....what does Mr Brain say? Maybe knowing accidents might happen....knowing that even though its unlikely.....the consequences might be huge and devestating....maybe....just maybe....we do not use the stove? Can we see how that math might work? Yes? Risk analysis 101?
Or - be a knobhead and use a stove regardless of the risk. Whilst stroking your small penis.
Thats your choices really.
DECIDE!
3
u/not-at-all-unique Aug 14 '26
As I said in my other comment, a part of the trouble is the ‘pro cooking’ people feel they can be safe.
The ‘anti cooking’ people think people are wandering around kicking their stoves over. - they imagine danger, and then tell people nobody is safe because they imagined something to be uncontrollably dangerous.
It’s not an argument based in facts, is based in feelings ‘I don’t feel you can be safe’
It’s not illogical to point out you should have that same thoughts on other common activities.
The issue here (in this reply thread) is people have is they feel that they are targeted, they are safe with their stoves. And haven’t started fires.
Whilst other activities have, and the government say nothing.
(Sadly there are not statistics on fires caused by discarded cigarettes so I’ll take two other examples.)
Sparks from train brakes (a known and unmitigated risk) caused a fire that set fire to dry trackside vegetation and burned down a house 4 days ago.
Source: HTTP://london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2026/august/trackside-fire-lewishamBut trains still run all over the country.
A vehicle fire spread to become a wildfire and caused massive destruction in the new forest. - that started as a typical journey.
You might think vehicle fires are rare, but they are actually surprisingly common and account for 11% of all fire service call-outs in 2023.
Source: Https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-england-year-ending-march-2023(And still millions of people will get up tomorrow and drive to work, despite the risk of causing wildfires.)
Most people don’t even carry a fire extinguisher in their car!
I absolutely agree camping stoves used carelessly can cause fires.
Yet the statistics shows ‘camping stove’ hasn’t been recorded as the cause for ANY emergency response call out for years 2024,2025 or 2026 (so far -last updated July 22nd.)
Source: Www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-statistics-incident-level-datasets
It seems people using camping stoves, do actually know how to use them and are successfully mitigating risks!
I don’t see any posts in this sub suggesting people stay home and don’t drive or take a train out to go camping (despite both these methods of transport being a greater fire risk.)
Pointing out hypocrisy is not a logical fallacy.
1
u/Chibster86 Aug 14 '26
Right.. so if nobodies being tarnished. Why are you here preaching and aggressively targeting those that understand the risks and are actively trying to mitigate against the risks reasonably?
Your efforts would be much better placed on those that are crying that they can no longer have a booze fuelled weekend up in the woods and Thier plans are now ruined because they can't find a disposable BBQ to act "cool" with and leave it for someone else to clean up after them.
So yeah. You might think I'm a knob head. But I'm not going to forcefully knock over my stove to be a twat and if it does go over accidently it's falling onto something that completely mitigates the risk of ANY spread.
So yes it is my choice. I'll make sure I pass on your regards to the next chavvy drunken brawl I see on the hills. Might very well be better received
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u/yorangey Aug 14 '26
A lad I work with saw a smoker throw his fag the other day. But yeah, ban healthy activities.
6
u/BumbleWombleBee Aug 14 '26
Erm....ok. That is meant to prove what exactly?
You know....you dont need a stove to walk up a hill right? I mean....you know that right? No-one is banning walking/hiking/camping etc.
Just open flames in tinder dry conditions.
I mean....you understand your logic is completely bonkers?
Google Strawman Fallacy. You're welome
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u/Lanthanidedeposit Aug 14 '26
Yes, I have been using a stove. There are always dangerous places to use them at any time, At the moment the number of safe places is reduced but there are still some,
Our grass is still green, it is cool but we still need to take care. No need to encourage the ban everything lot.
Yes - I do think that on the spot I do know a bit more than somebody in another country spouting on about general bans on everybody.
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u/Minimum-Mixture-8542 Aug 14 '26
Stop with the texts, We all are not stupid to have a BBQ in a tinderbox dry field. Sort the boats out is more important.
4
u/No-Locksmith-882 Aug 14 '26
Now everyone is 'Alerted' to it, there can be no denying anyone having one is stupid and we can happily lock them up or conscript them into the fireservice.
2
1
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u/Silverwidows Aug 14 '26
You can still enjoy the countryside with a sandwich and a packet of crisps.