
Dorset firefighters tackle 'multiple flare ups' at Holt Heath blaze
People were forced to leave their homes on Saturday when the fire broke out but have since been able to return.Residents are being advised to keep their doors and windows closed.The update explained: "Firefighters continue to work in arduous conditions and have surrounded the fire, although there are still multiple hotspots and flare ups that need to be tackled."
Crews from stations in Devon and Somerset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire have all been assisting with the incident.DWFRS added: "On Monday morning, we are expecting appliances and specialist support from other parts of the country, thanks to help from the National Resilience Assurance Team."
The service has also been tackling a heath and forest fire at Newton Heath, near Swanage, that has been burning for a week.The fire, between Corfe Castle and Swanage, has destroyed an area about the size of 35 football pitches since it broke out last Sunday.While the fire at Newton Heath is believed to have been started deliberately, the cause of the fire at Holt Heath is currently unknown.
The fire service gave "a huge thank you" to local supermarkets and independent food companies and charities which had donated food and water, as well as "the many local residents who have dropped off donations".It added: "We've had lots of offers to deliver food and drink to fire stations but we would ask for this not to happen as there may not be anyone available to take delivery. "We are extremely grateful for the support and all the kind messages we have received."
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Homeowners warned of flood risk as lake starts to break through ice dam
A huge basin of rainwater and snowmelt dammed by Alaska's Mendenhall glacier has started to release, and officials on Tuesday urged residents in some parts of Juneau to evacuate ahead of what could be a record surge of floodwater downstream. Officials in recent days have been warning people in the flood zone to be ready to evacuate. Advertisement On Tuesday morning, they confirmed water had started escaping the ice dam and flowing downstream, with flooding expected from late on Tuesday into Wednesday. Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern and, in recent years, has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. A canoe, bottom right, glides on Mendenhall Lake, in front of the Mendenhall glacier, Juneau, Alaska (Becky Bohrer/AP) Government agencies installed a temporary levy this year in hopes of guarding against widespread damage. 'This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have,' Nicole Ferrin, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told a news conference on Tuesday. Advertisement The Mendenhall glacier, a thinning, retreating glacier that is a major tourist attraction in south-east Alaska, acts as a dam for Suicide Basin, which fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt. The basin itself was left behind when a smaller glacier nearby retreated. Flood barriers to protect property against glacial outburst flooding have already been positioned (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP) When the water in the basin builds up enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam, entering Mendenhall Lake and eventually the Mendenhall River. Before the basin reached the limit of its capacity and began overtopping over the weekend, the water level was rising rapidly – as much as 1.22 metres per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. Advertisement The threat of so-called glacier outburst flooding has troubled parts of Juneau since 2011. In some years, there has been limited flooding of streets or properties near the lake or river. But 2023 and 2024 marked successive years of record flooding, with the river last August cresting at 4.9m – 30cm over the prior record set a year earlier, and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. This year's flooding was predicted to crest at between 4.96m and 5.12m. Last year, nearly 300 residences were damaged. Advertisement A large outburst can release some 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Centre. That's the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers said. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The installation of about 10,000 1.2m barriers is intended to protect more than 460 properties from flood levels similar to last year, said Nate Rumsey, deputy director with the city's engineering and public works department. Advertisement The US army corps of engineers is at the start of what is expected to be a years-long process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it is unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25-60 years, according to the university and science centre researchers.


The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Ice dam at Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier releases floodwater toward downstream homes
A huge basin of rainwater and snowmelt dammed by Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier has started to release, and officials on Tuesday urged residents in some parts of Juneau to evacuate ahead of what could be a record surge of floodwater downstream. Officials in recent days have been warning people in the flood zone to be ready to evacuate. On Tuesday morning they confirmed water had started escaping the ice dam and flowing downstream, with flooding expected late Tuesday into Wednesday. Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. The Mendenhall Glacier — a thinning, retreating glacier that is a major tourist attraction in southeast Alaska — acts as a dam for Suicide Basin, which fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt. The basin itself was left behind when a smaller glacier nearby retreated. When the water in the basin builds up enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam, entering Mendenhall Lake and eventually the Mendenhall River. Before the basin reached the limit of its capacity and began overtopping over the weekend, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. The threat of so-called glacier outburst flooding has troubled parts of Juneau since 2011. In some years, there has been limited flooding of streets or properties near the lake or river. But 2023 and 2024 marked successive years of record flooding, with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (0.3 meters) over the prior record set a year earlier, and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. Last year, nearly 300 residences were damaged. A large outburst can release up to 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That's the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The installation of about 10,000, four-foot (1.2-meter) tall barriers is intended to protect more than 460 properties from flood levels similar to last year, said Nate Rumsey, deputy director with the city's engineering and public works department. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what's expected to be a yearslong process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it's unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers. ___


The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Parched New Jersey city gets some relief days after water main break caused taps to run low
Water pressure was improving Tuesday for thousands of frustrated residents in a northern New Jersey city with little or no service since a water main break late last week, but a boil water advisory for nearly 200,000 customers remained in effect. Improvement began hours after crews isolated the leak Monday night, though officials said Tuesday that they still have not reached the broken main, which is some 30 feet underground in Paterson. Service was expected to slowly improve during the day Tuesday, but authorities warned that residents in highly elevated areas will have to wait longer. Repairs were ongoing Tuesday in the state's third-largest city, but it was unclear when the work would be completed. 'We did isolate the leak, significantly isolated it. There is still some water coming out, but the system is starting to recover," said Jim Mueller, executive director of the Passaic Valley Water Commission. 'We're getting reports and we're seeing on our own gauges that pressure is starting to come up in parts of the system.' The problems began Friday when the roughly 140-year-old water main broke. Some residents have had no water service since then and thousands continued dealing with extremely low water pressure. The service disruption has frustrated many residents, including those who have been relying on portable showers and toilets to meet their basic needs. The water commission and city have been providing free bottled water to residents, including deliveries to the homes of elderly people. The boil water order issued by the commission asks residents not to fill large jugs or containers, water lawns or open hydrants until at least Friday, and officials warned that the order may remain in effect until sometime next week. It affects Paterson and three smaller neighboring communities. With roughly 160,000 residents, Paterson is a diverse city and one of the poorest in the state. It has a large Hispanic population, and census data shows the majority of its residents are foreign-born.