A roaring heath fire fanned by strong winds on Winfrith Heath near Wool, required eight fire engines, including one from Swanage Fire Station, to bring it under control.
Late last night, Sunday 28th June 2020, firefighters arriving on the scene found approximately 500 metres square of heath and gorse alight and had to use multiple hose reel jets, main lines and beaters to extinguish the blaze.
Eight fire engines were called to tackle the blaze
A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said:
“We received a call at 9.57 pm yesterday evening about a fire on Winfrith Heath. Eight fire engines from Wareham, Dorchester (two), Swanage, Poole, Weymouth, Wimborne and Maiden Newton; Five Land Rover pumps from Poole, Hamworthy, Swanage, Blandford and Bere Regis; two water carriers from Poole and Bridport as well as a support unit from Hamworthy and the Unimog from Wareham.”
Firefighters remained at the scene to stop any hotspots reigniting
The fire was successfully contained just before midnight but firefighters remained at the scene to further dampen down the ground to stop any hotspots reigniting. Further inspections of the site have taken place today due to the increased risk of the fire starting again because of the windy conditions.
A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said that the cause of the fire was currently unknown and that investigations were continuing.
