What happened
Hundreds of people were forced from their homes and holiday accommodation after a major wildfire spread across Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast. About 200 properties – including holiday cottages, a farm and a caravan park – were evacuated overnight as more than 120 firefighters battled the blaze. The fire, fuelled by hot, dry and windy conditions, advanced inland towards St James’ Church and prompted monitoring at the Sizewell B nuclear power station, which is about five kilometres away.

Who said what
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service chief Jon Lacey said it was “difficult to say” when evacuated residents would be able to return, warning that the fire could continue burning for up to 36 hours.

The evacuation comes as fire services across the UK are “under extreme pressure”, said Holly Evans in The Independent. Nearly 400 wildfires have been recorded this month, making it the “busiest July on record”.

What next?
National Fire Chiefs Council chair Phil Garrigan said: “Wildfires are no longer isolated or seasonal events. They are becoming a recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities and emergency services.” EDF said the blaze was “not currently affecting operations” at Sizewell B.

What happened
The nominations for music’s 2026 Mercury Prize are out and they include big names such as Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney, Dave and Florence + The Machine. But there are also some notable absentees, including Lily Allen.

The winner will receive a £25,000 prize, but even just getting a nomination for the best British or Irish album gong “can change everything”, said the BBC.

Who said what
Dean is “among the favourites” to win for her second album, “The Art of Loving”. She is on a “campaign to collect every major music award”, previously winning at the Brits and Mobos, added the BBC.

However, the surprise omission of Allen is controversial. Her album was reviewed as “a brutal, tell-all masterpiece”, said The Independent. “West End Girl” was a “huge part of 2025’s cultural conversation”, making its absence in the shortlist “notable”, said The Guardian.

What next?
The prize, to be decided by a panel of 11 music industry experts, will be announced at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on 22 October.

Social media feeds full of hiking content and glorious views have contributed to a growing interest in the outdoors among young adults. But a worrying number of them have also needed rescuing from mountainous regions.

Hiking influencers have become an “inadvertent source of inspiration” for their followers to take treks “without understanding the scale of the challenge”, with many clearly “beyond their skill set”, said The i Paper.

Hiking posts can make the “toughest climbs look like a walk in the park”, said Kate Davis from the Ramblers walking charity. While no influencer would “encourage novices” to take on intermediate hikes without proper preparation, added The i Paper, “not everyone is honest” about their experiences.

This combination of misleading content and hikers unaware of factors like weather, technical clothing and the time needed to complete a trek could be behind the rise in rescue call-outs.

While it’s “great to see more young people going outdoors”, the question is how to make sure that every hiker is prepared for the journey ahead, said The Times. Since people “rarely use maps and compasses”, some parks are “developing signage with common routes”, explained Nick Phillips, from Mountain Rescue England and Wales. An initiative will allow people hiking in the Lake District, Peak District and Wales to “scan a QR code” and “upload a map” on to their device with the route “they need to follow”.