Latest news with #heathfire
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Major incident declared as crews tackle two blazes
A major incident has been declared and 20 homes evacuated near Holt Heath as fire crews tackle two large heath fires in Dorset. More than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze at Holt Heath, near Wimborne, which broke out at about 11:10 BST. Firefighters also remain at Newton Heath, near Swanage, tackling a heath fire about the size of 35 football pitches that has been burning since last Sunday. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer Darren Langdown said: "We have declared a major incident both due to the size of the fire at Holt Heath, and also the impact of this and Newton Heath on our overall availability of resources." About 20 homes near the fire have been evacuated as a precaution and residents are being advised to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke, which is visible from some miles away. The Holt Road has been closed at the junction with Higher Road, as well as in Holt Heath village near the pub. Mr Langdown urged the public to help by "staying away from the affected areas" and asked photographers not to fly drones near the fire. The windy conditions are fanning the flames and causing rapid fire spread, said the fire service. Firefighters from neighbouring fire stations in Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Devon & Somerset have been helping to try to prevent the flames from spreading. Mr Langdown said he was "extremely grateful" to neighbouring services for their support and praised them for "working so hard in extremely arduous conditions to bring these fires under control". While the fire at Newton Heath is believed to have been started deliberately, the fire service said the cause of the fire at Holt Heath was currently unknown. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. More on this story 'Stay away' plea as fast-moving heath fire breaks out Related Links Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
BBC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
cly6204jpk5o (GIF Image, 1 × 1 pixels)
John Parsons Firefighters were called to Holt Heath after smoke was spotted on Saturday morning A major incident has been declared and 20 homes evacuated near Holt Heath as fire crews tackle two large heath fires in Dorset. More than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze at Holt Heath, near Wimborne, which broke out at about 11:10 BST. Firefighters also remain at Newton Heath, near Swanage, tackling a heath fire about the size of 35 football pitches that has been burning since last Sunday. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer Darren Langdown said: "We have declared a major incident both due to the size of the fire at Holt Heath, and also the impact of this and Newton Heath on our overall availability of resources." John Parsons The fire crew said the fire was moving quickly About 20 homes near the fire have been evacuated as a precaution and residents are being advised to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke, which is visible from some miles away. The Holt Road has been closed at the junction with Higher Road, as well as in Holt Heath village near the pub. Mr Langdown urged the public to help by "staying away from the affected areas" and asked photographers not to fly drones near the fire. The windy conditions are fanning the flames and causing rapid fire spread, said the fire service. The smoke plume from the fire seen from Tarrant Rushton Airfield about eight miles (13km) away from the fire Firefighters from neighbouring fire stations in Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Devon & Somerset have been helping to try to prevent the flames from spreading. Mr Langdown said he was "extremely grateful" to neighbouring services for their support and praised them for "working so hard in extremely arduous conditions to bring these fires under control". While the fire at Newton Heath is believed to have been started deliberately, the fire service said the cause of the fire at Holt Heath was currently unknown. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. More on this story 'Stay away' plea as fast-moving heath fire breaks out Related Links Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
BBC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Dorset firefighters receive 'non-stop' calls to wildfires
Footage has been released of firefighters tackling flames that engulfed an area the size of 30 football and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) previously reported receiving a "high number of calls" following a number of fires across the Studland Fire Station has since released footage of them tackling some of the heath fire in Middlebere Heath on station said crews experienced "non-stop" callouts from Saturday, to tackle fires in Newton Heath, Middlebere Heath, Decoy Heath and Arne. In a statement, Swanage Fire Station explained: "As you may be aware our station, as well as lots of others from Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire have been attending multiple fires in the area."Since midnight on Saturday, Swanage Station has been out almost non-stop to fires at Wareham, Arne and Rempstone Forest."Crews from Swanage are continuing to assist with monitoring the Newton Health wildfire, which is believed to have been started confirmed the Decoy Heath and Middlebere Heath fires have since been extinguished. Swanage station added: "The strong winds were making this difficult and causing flare ups regularly. The incident is still not over and will be ongoing for quite a while longer."Area manager Marc House said they were "aware" a number of fires may have been set deliberately and urged anyone with information to contact added: "The public can help and support us by carefully considering the use of barbecues and bonfires. "If you really must have one, please keep a bucket of water nearby." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- BBC News
Bransgore woodland fire treated as suspicious by police
A large heath fire which broke out on the border of Hampshire and Dorset is being treated as suspicious, police have were called on Saturday evening to the incident, affecting one hectare (2.4 acres) of heath and gorse in from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue tackled the blaze through the night and into Sunday, with a crew also returning the next day to check for and Isle of Wight Constabulary has since confirmed an investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched. Crews from New Milton, Lymington, Fordingbridge, Eastleigh and Beaulieu were first called at 19:35 BST and worked alongside teams from Dorset and Wiltshire to surround and put out the were asked to avoid the area around Burley Road and to to close doors and windows due to the smoke in the area at the stop for the incident came in at 21:24 on Sunday.A police spokerson explained Hampshire fire service made them aware of the blaze at 06:00 on Sunday. "The cause of the fire is currently being treated as suspicious and officers are investigating the full circumstances surrounding the incident, with enquiries ongoing," they are asking anyone in the area at the time of the incident to get in touch. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Large heath fire operation scaled back
An operation to extinguish a large heath fire is being scaled back. Firefighters from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue have been tackling an area of heath and gorse on the border of Hampshire and Dorset in Bransgore since Saturday evening. A large number of fire engines were at the scene, with residents asked to avoid the area around Burley Road and to close doors and windows due to the smoke in the area. Water carriers and Land Rovers were also used "to surround and stop the blaze" across the large area of woodland, Hampshire fire service said. "The incident was scaled down overnight but a few fire service vehicles remain on the scene this morning with relief crews working to extinguish hotspots," it added. At its height 50 firefighters tackled the blaze which covered a 200m by 400m area (656ft by 1,312ft). A spokesman said it was a "quite challenging" operation because the flames were being driven by windy conditions. Group manager Larry Mackrell, also a wildfire tactical adviser, said: "Fires out in the open can easily get out of control, causing devastation to wildlife and the natural habitat. "They can tie up our resources for a long time, taking many hours for firefighters to bring an incident under control, which means we have resources in attendance for a long time, but also we can't have resources in other areas in the community where they may need them." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Beach blaze firefighters suspect 'human intervention' 'Human intervention' caused heath wildfires Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
