This is what it sounded like when everyone at Boomtown festival got the government wildfire phone alert at once

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 fo...