Fire crews put out heath fire started 'deliberately'

Firefighters have put out a wildfire at a nature reserve which is believed to have been started deliberately.

The fire near Blackhill Road, on Holton Heath near Poole, broke out shortly before 18:00 BST on Thursday and has destroyed about 1.8 hectares (about 4.5 acres) of heath and scrubland.

At its height 40 firefighters were on scene and a total of 18 different appliances, two Unimog trucks and 10 support vehicles were used to tackle the blaze found to be deep within the peat on the heath.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said the fire was now out and crews had left the scene. The service said a reinspection was due later on Saturday.

DWFRS said crews found fires in multiple places on areas of the heath.

The fire service said: "The cause is believed to be deliberate, and we are working closely with our colleagues at Dorset Police."

An amber warning of a rising risk of wildfires is in place. The alert covers Dorset and Wiltshire.

One of Dorset's national nature reserves, the area of heath is owned by Natural England and spans 117 hectares (289 acres) of woodland and lowland heath.

The reserve's compact bushes provide nest sites for Dartford warblers and stonechats - its areas of bare sands are home to burrowing bees and wasps, and egg-laying sand lizards.

On Tuesday evening a wildfire took hold of an area of Turbary Heath in Bournemouth.

Fire investigators later said the nature reserve fire was being treated as arson and police were investigating.

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