On-call crews from across the New Forest battle countryside blaze
On-call firefighters from across the New Forest tackled a large gorse and heath fire in East Boldre on Saturday afternoon.
Crews from Beaulieu, Hythe, Lymington were supported specialist vehicles from Ringwood, Hardley, Lyndhurst and Eastleigh at the incident near Hatchet Pond off Beaulieu Road, after around 20 emergency calls were made into the HIWFRS Control Room.
The wind driven fire affected a large 225m by 100m area.
Hose reels, jets and beaters were used to contain and stop the blaze before firefighters dampened down the scene.
HIWFRS left the scene following the stop message at 16:28.
These simple tips will help you to stay safe in the countryside and protect it for others to enjoy:
- Don’t start campfires in the countryside
- Never take barbecues or lit charcoal of any kind to enclosed spaces for example tents
- Never leave barbecues unattended and dispose of them appropriately
- Don’t leave glass bottles in direct sunlight as this could start a fire
- Don’t start a fire or barbecue in areas that strictly state this is prohibited such as the New Forest National Park
- Make sure cigarettes are out and correctly dispose of them
- Take home your litter or make sure you put it in a bin
- Keep a bucket of water, sand or a garden hose nearby in case of emergency
- Leave plenty of room around your barbecue
- Set up barbecues on level ground which is away from dry grass, bushes, fences, tents and other structures
If you see a fire
- If you do see a fire in the countryside, get to safety and contact us immediately – dial 999
- Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water
- Give a map reference if possible, otherwise give a landmark such as a farm or pub to help locate the fire
- Download the What3Words app on your phone to help us pinpoint incidents
- Estimate the size of the area that’s burning
- Describe the type of terrain (grass, bracken, forest, open moorland etc)
- Evacuate the area as soon as possible