Footage from Boomtown has captured the moment that festivalgoers received the government’s emergency wildfire alert at the same time – watch below.
The alert was sent out to mobile phones across England and Wales at 7pm on Friday (August 14), while this year’s edition of the festival was taking place at the Matterley Estate near Winchester.
In footage spreading on social media, you can see and hear the cacophony of thousands of siren-like alerts all sounding off at the same time in the Boomtown campsite, prompting laughter and shouting from those in attendance.
“British humour is unmatched,” one video was captioned on Instagram. Check it out here:
The government message was labelled as a “severe alert” and warned recipients that there was “a serious risk of wildfires nationally”.
People were instructed not to light barbecues, campfires, fireworks or anything else that could start a blaze during this period of extreme heat, and to call 999 immediately if they spotted a fire.
It was the most expansive use of the UK’s emergency alert system in response to an active incident to date, with all compatible devices in England and Wales receiving the alert and making the loud siren sound for approximately 10 seconds.
It has been a record year for wildfires in England and Wales, with more than 1000 incidents already reported. Fire services had declared 11 major incidents in the 24 hours leading up to the alert, while homes had been destroyed in Stourbridge in the West Midlands.
Emergency services have also been deployed to tackle fires in South Wales, while the government has introduced a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues.
This year’s Boomtown is running all weekend, with Kneecap, Madness and Scissor Sisters topping the bill, and Skrillex, Four Tet, Faithless and Floating Points also among the acts playing.
Earlier this year, Boomtown was given permission to remain at the Matterley Estate until 2030, despite some objections from local residents and environmental campaigners.
