The Welsh Government has stepped in and activated its own ‘crisis management arrangements’ as wildfires continue to spread across the country.

Firefighters are now in their fifth day fighting a blaze above Blaenavon, which is the size of 300 football pitches, as well as significant fires in other parts of the country like Harlech, in North Wales. Together, they have spent days and nights trying to keep people and wildlife as safe as possible.

The crisis protocol has been activated following the information from the Ministry of Defence that there are no helicopters available to help the crews on the ground tackle the fires across the country, as they are already out fighting fires in other parts of the UK. Locals have been criticising the lack of air support in Blaenavon since the incident began.

Their questions were answered when the Welsh Government confirmed there was currently no aerial support available for Wales, but that discussions were underway to discuss how this can be resolved.

“The MOD has informed us that there is no aerial support available for anywhere in the UK and urgent discussions are now underway both with Wales and at a UK level to identify how this can be resolved,” a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said.

“While helicopters can usefully contribute to fighting wildfires in some situations, they are by no means a universal or complete solution.”

“The main and most effective means of fighting wildfires is at ground level, and that is exactly what our firefighters are doing with great skill and dedication.”