What a blazing idiot! Ranger gets in row with man over lighting a portable BBQ - just days after Andy Burnham banned the open-flame stoves amid ravaging wildfires across the UK

Published: 00:01, 16 August 2026 | Updated: 00:06, 16 August 2026 A countryside ranger was involved in a heated conversation with a man using a portable stove in the tinderbox-dry bushes of Buckinghamshire's Coombe Hill on Saturday. The ranger sternly reminded the defiant cook that using an open-flame stove in the baking conditions could prove dangerous. Clad in a light blue patterned short-sleeved shirt, the bearded chef looked glum as the ranger reprimanded him. The heated exchange on the hill – which overlooks the Prime Minister's residence at Chequers – came just a day after the Government's national warning amid the wildfires ravaging the country. Andy Burnham was heavily criticised for using the UK's national alert system to sound an alarm on mobile phones across the nation on Friday night warning of the wildfire risk. 'There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally,' the message read. 'Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks. 'Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.' The would-be chef looked annoyed as his defiance of national warnings against open flames outdoors was questioned by a National Trust ranger on Saturday But the exchange came to an amicable end as the pair shook hands on the tinderbox-dry ground The warning prompted panicked Britons to jam 999 phone lines and startled drivers. It also sounded on the BBC's The One Show, which was being transmitted live, startling presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp.  But the blaring warning was clearly not enough for the connoisseur of the Buckinghamshire bistro. However after his row with the ranger, the pair amicably shook hands.