Without doubt, the most pressing issue in our area over the last few weeks has been the wildfire above Blaenavon.

The smoke has been seen far and wide, and the smell of burning has been experienced across Monmouthshire, Torfaen and as far afield as Cardiff. It has been incredibly hard to extinguish, despite all best efforts.

After I wrote to the First Minister to raise this pressing issue, I was pleased to welcome him to Blaenavon this week. He was keen to see the destruction that the wildfires have caused for himself, and hear from those affected.

The entire community is incredibly grateful to the fire service for the work they’ve done in stopping the spread of this fire. It needs to be said though, that without the intervention of the common land farmers on the mountain, who know the landscape like the back of their hands, the spread of the wildfire would have been much worse.

Risking life and limb, and their property, some of them proceeded into the smoke to assist the fire service in the confusion and used their own machinery to cut fire breaks, when other dedicated machinery was not to be seen. I am proud that the First Minister was able to hear from them this week.

There are some big lessons to be learnt from this fire, and plans must be put in place for the next, inevitable, incident.

We must all look at this as a chance to learn and not forget the devastation that can be caused by a small fire. Disposable BBQs, cigarettes, even glass jars in the sunlight have all been known to start fires. Ensuring that deliberate fires are not started also needs to be addressed.

It’s going to take time and effort to recover the landscape, and for the nature and biodiversity to return. There will no doubt be livestock that have died on the hill, as well as ground nesting birds.

The Journal of Earth System Science’s 2025 State of Wildfires report described the evidence as "unequivocal" that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme wildfires. Here in Monmouthshire and Torfaen we see more devastating floods in the winter and increasing wildfires in the summer. And yet some in our national debate continue to question climate change, and undermine efforts to address the issue.

I am proud that the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government is taking these threats seriously. Climate change means the government will need to continually review and strengthen preparedness and I look forward to working with the government on this.