With the UK seeing temperatures above 34C (93.2F) in May, June, and July for the first time, there has been an increased risk of blazes in rural and urban areas
The high temperatures and heatwave aren't due to end any time soon, with some areas of the country not set to see any significant rainfall for at least another week.
That means a lot of places won't have seen any since a wet spell in mid-June. It's made for perfect conditions for wildfires.
So, what is a firewave? Where are the areas most at risk? And when will we be out of the worst of it?
What is a firewave?
It's not an official term you'll see from forecasters, but experts define a firewave as a phenomenon that happens when multiple wildfires occur in urban areas.
It happens when we have weather much like we have had since June: Extreme heat and high temperatures coupled with drying vegetation and low to no rainfall.
Joe McNorton, scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, told Sky News: "Across the UK we are seeing a combination of hot, dry weather and vegetation that has become increasingly combustible after a prolonged period without significant rainfall."
He said that the conditions "even in the UK, where large wildfires are relatively uncommon... can allow fires to spread quickly through grass, heath and moorland once they start".
"Importantly, wildfire risk has a memory, and it can take weeks or even months of warm, dry conditions to remove moisture from vegetation and create a landscape that is ready to burn," he added.
Joanna Robinson, Sky weather producer, noted that the prolonged hot spell this summer "has dried out vegetation, while strengthening winds and low humidity are further increasing the fire risk across England and Wales.
"Any fires that do break out, the stronger winds will help them spread faster, making them harder to contain," she added.
Where did the term come from?
The term firewave first originated from Imperial College London research into the wildfires that broke out during the 40C (104F) weather in July 2022 - when more than 100 blazes broke out in London.
The study found that vapour pressure deficit (VPD) - a measure of how quickly vegetation dries out - was the single strongest predictor of wildfire risk.
By way of example, while there were four London heatwaves in 2018 to 2022's three, only one in 2018 had a high VPD, which explained up to 61% of the variation in fire numbers in those two years.
ICL said in its findings that climate change, as well as land use and population, are "driving an increase in wildfire frequency and size" in urban areas.
How many wildfires have there been?
From 6 July to Monday, data from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) showed that fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to 342 wildfires.
And according to the NFCC, there were 19 wildfires active in England and Wales as of Monday.
In response to multiple fires, including those in Rhinog National Nature Reserve and the Conwy Mountain area, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has declared a major incident.
Meanwhile, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service have activated a mutual aid arrangement due to the volume of emergency calls being received.
Blazes have also been reported in Orpington in London, and in the Peak District.
Where are the risks from wildfires?
As conditions have stayed hot and dry for almost an entire month, much of England and Wales is at risk.
A chart from Natural England has most of the two home countries classed as very high under the Fire Severity Index.
Areas with a lower risk are in the northeast of England, under high or moderate risk, and the northwest, mostly under high risk.
Elsewhere it's a little less extreme: As of Tuesday, neither Scotland nor Northern Ireland's fire services have issued a wildfire warning, but both are urging caution during high temperatures.
Europe is battling similar fire risks though, with a wildfire tearing through the historic Fontainebleau forest near Paris on Monday. Two have since been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire.
And Spain has been battling one of its deadliest wildfires on record. Authorities there identified a British woman as a victim of the fire on Monday, the fifth known to have died from the UK.
When will firewave conditions end?
Not for another week at least: Joanna Robinson, Sky weather producer, said that parts of England and Wales are expected to remain in heatwave conditions until at least the weekend.
See the weather forecast for your area
This is due to "a marked diffluent block," which she explained occurs "when an area of high pressure sits directly above an area of low pressure, splitting the jet stream and causing little movement in the weather pattern, which can last for weeks".
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Ms Robinson added: "High pressure is currently sitting to the north of the UK, which is bringing dry conditions to the country, with just a small chance of showers or thunderstorms in the southwest on Wednesday and Thursday.
"Temperatures will remain well above average in the south over the next few days, with the heat also returning to parts of the north.
"By the weekend, temperatures will be a bit lower but will still be above average and reaching the mid to high twenties."
A 41-year-old man, a woman aged 39 and an eight-year-old girl were found in a house in the Old Cullybackey Road area.
Superintendent William Calderwood, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said they were from the same family and called it a "shocking scene".
The adults are believed to have originally been from Poland.
Superintendent Calderwood said they were waiting for the results of a post-mortem but "a strong hypothesis is that this was a double murder followed by a sudden death".
Police are not looking for anyone else and specialist officers are supporting relatives and liaising with the Polish consulate.
Flowers were left outside the property this morning and a pair of child's sandals were still hanging on the washing line.
Anyone with CCTV or dash-cam footage that might be relevant is asked to contact police on 101.
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"My heart goes out to the relatives in the Ballymena area and to those in Poland," said North Antrim MP and TUV leader Jim Allister.
"I am also mindful of the school friends of the child and the distress they will suffer," he added.
"The gruesome scene with which the first responders and forensic officers had to deal is a reminder of how hard their job can be. We are grateful for all they do.
"Even as the shock subsides over coming days there will be a lasting effect in the neighbourhood of this awful event."
The $5.6m (£4.2m) payment - comprising the $5m jury award, plus interest - was made on Monday from an account where it had been held in escrow since the 2023 verdict, court records show.
"We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment," Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement.
The president's lawyers have signalled they will continue appealing.
Mr Trump deposited the money in an escrow account shortly after the jury's decision.
The US Supreme Court recently let the civil verdict stand, with Judge Lewis A Kaplan then able to release the money.
The president's lawyers subsequently sought an emergency order to block the payment, but were denied.
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No conditions were placed on how Ms Carroll may use the money by the one-sentence denial.
In court papers, her lawyers said that she plans to put it in a retirement account.
The president's attorneys have since filed another appeal seeking to halt or reverse the payment.
On Tuesday, his legal team repeated a previous statement about the case, calling it a "witch hunt" and a "hoax", and insisting the American people stand with him.
The jury found Mr Trump attacked Ms Carroll, a former advice columnist, in 1996 in a New York luxury department store dressing room.
He defamed her after she detailed the story in a memoir published in 2019, during his first term, the jury decided.
Mr Trump insisted nothing sexual happened between him and Ms Carroll, now 82.
In a 2019 interview, he claimed she was "not my type" and "totally lying".
He said he didn't know her, dismissing a 1987 photo of them and their then-spouses at a party as inconsequential.
He also accused her of having a political agenda and trying to sell books at his expense.
Mr Trump didn't attend the trial, where Ms Carroll testified that their friendly and flirtatious chance meeting at the department store turned violent.
Ms Carroll sued him after New York changed its laws to give sexual abuse survivors another chance to sue over attacks from the distant past.
The president is also appealing $83m (£62m) in compensation granted to Ms Carroll by a separate Manhattan jury after a 2024 defamation trial where Mr Trump briefly testified.
His remains were discovered in a wooded area of Borstal, Kent, on Friday, and two men today appeared via video link at Medway Magistrates' Court.
Joshua Miller, 32, of Kingfisher Court, Wimbledon, is charged with murdering Mr Mundell on 8 July and preventing a lawful burial.
Jamie Cooper, 27, of the same address, is also charged with preventing a lawful burial.
Metropolitan Police said they were called to Kingfisher Court on Thursday night over concerns for a man's welfare.
They didn't find anyone but there was evidence someone had "come to harm" and an investigation was launched.
Police said Mr Mundell - who was from Islington - and the two men charged knew each another.
Miller will appear next at Maidstone Crown Court on 15 July, before both defendants appear at the same court on 10 August for a plea hearing.
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This is one more day than the infamous year of 1976, which lingers in the memory for some due to its heatwave and drought conditions.
Back then, crops were hit, landscapes left parched and people forced to use standpipes in the street.
Tuesday's temperatures peaked at 30.2C in Kew Gardens, west London, which made it the 10th successive day that 30C had been exceeded somewhere in the country.
See the weather forecast for your area
Currently, there is no significant rainfall forecast for this week and some areas are set to go almost a month without any measurable wet weather.
The heatwave is expected to go on for much of the UK this week, with temperatures peaking on Wednesday with possible highs of 33C in some parts of southern-central England, according to the Met Office.
Sky's weather producer Dr Chris England said: "Heatwave conditions will continue for parts of England and Wales through the week, but don't expect the extremes of last week.
"Temperatures will drop a little over the weekend, down to the mid to high twenties. It'll be blustery in the South over the next few days, which will temper the heat somewhat, while an onshore flow will keep it much cooler near many North Sea coasts."
He added: "Most places will be dry this week, with plenty of sunshine, but central and eastern parts will often be rather grey for a time during the morning, with some eastern coasts staying dull throughout.
"The South West may catch a few showers - perhaps thundery - on Wednesday and Thursday. No sign of any significant rain in the forecast. The Met Office said some areas have had no rain for 24 days."
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Among other records set this summer, there were six separate days of temperatures of 35C or higher for the first time, and there was a June record of 37.7C set in Lingwood, Norfolk.
During June's heatwave, there were seven days in a row where temperatures peaked above 30C.
There have now been 25 days in 2026 - consecutive and non-consecutive - when that temperature level has been exceeded somewhere in the UK - seven in May, eight in June and 10 in July.
The record was set in 1995 when the country had 34 days of 30C-plus temperatures. In that year, while the use of standpipes was avoided, water tankers had to be used in some areas where a lack of rain resulted in shortages.
This summer's third heatwave has left fire and rescue crews tackling wildfires across England and Wales.
And the hot, dry weather has also led water firms to announce hosepipe bans for the east of England, Cambridge, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and areas of Kent.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has yellow heat health alerts in place for much of England, which began at 9am on Tuesday and will run until 9pm on Friday.
The regions affected include the East Midlands, East of England, London, North West, South East, South West and West Midlands.
Yellow alerts are issued during periods of heat which would unlikely impact most people, but those who are particularly vulnerable (including the elderly with multiple health conditions and on multiple medications) and who are likely to struggle to cope, and where action is required by the health and social care sector.
Meanwhile, climatologists are predicting that the kind of temperatures the UK has been experiencing could become the new normal for summer over the next few decades as a result of climate change.