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."

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