THE cause of a large heath fire which tore through a Christchurch beauty spot remains under investigation.
The blaze at St Catherine's Hill in Christchurch affected 2.8 hectares with more than 40 firefighters sent to extinguish it.
More than nine crews from across Dorset and Hampshire tackled the fire at St Catherine’s Hill and Nature Reserve just off Dudmoor Lane on Tuesday evening (April 5).
Crews worked through the night and into Wednesday morning to ensure the safety of the site with members of the public and motorists urged to avoid the area.
A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: “We were called to an area of St Catherine’s Hill off Dudmoor Lane, Christchurch, at 6.30pm last night (Tuesday) for a fire affecting approximately 2.8 hectares of heath.
“At the height of the incident, we had fire engines from Christchurch (x2), Poole, Swanage, Ferndown, Salisbury and Ringwood; small 4x4 appliances from Christchurch, Ferndown and Burley; plus a water carrier from Ringwood and a support vehicle from Hamworthy.
“The fire was quickly surrounded despite it being driven by the wind, and the stop came at 8.18pm, when we were able to start scaling back.
“We had left the scene by midnight; a crew from Christchurch went back there at 6am for a planned reinspection in daylight and damped down any new hotspots. The incident was closed at 9:30am [on Wednesday].”
No injuries were reported and officials are still investigating the cause of the incident.
Yesterday, rangers were on site inspecting the charred land.
In 2015, a devastating heath fire at the site, destroyed 72 hectares of land - with wildlife and ecology experts saying it would take 15 years for the site to fully recover.
Tuesday's incident follows multiple heath fires in Dorset in recent months, including a smaller one on Parley Common in late March.
Shortly after, the Daily Echo spoke with Dorset Fire Service station manager Julian Lockwood who was asked whether he and his colleagues expected similar heath fire incidents ahead of the summer.
He said: “Yes, I think we do but we also plan accordingly. We're expecting it but we're out early with the warnings and are reiterating that as we approach Easter and weather patterns change; it's about making the public aware of the risks.”
St Catherine's Hill is home to a large number of important wildlife species.
It is managed by BCP Council, the RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust and The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. Urban Heaths Partnership also provide supplementary wardens for the site.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel