THE third fire on Canford Heath in the space of a month was believed to have been started by “human intervention”, the fire service has confirmed.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called more than 140 times to the blaze, the first call coming at 3.13pm on Sunday.
READ MORE: Huge Canford Heath fire believed to be started by 'human act'
A spokesperson for the service said: “We sent fire engines from Poole, Redhill Park, Westbourne, Hamworthy, Wimborne, Ferndown, Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury, together with small 4x4 appliances from Poole, Ferndown and Christchurch; the Unimog from Wareham; a water carrier from Poole; and a support unit from Dorchester – approximately 50 firefighters.
“The fire affected an area of approximately 1.5 acres and was surrounded by 4.30pm, with firefighters using six main jets, five hose reel jets and beaters to bring it under control.
“The stop came in at 5.14pm, and we were away from the scene by 7pm. A crew from Poole carried out a reinspection last night to deal with any hotspots and another is being held this morning.
“Canford Heath Road was closed at the height of the incident but was reopened by 6pm.
“We believe the fire to have started due to some form of human intervention, but the intent is unknown.”
READ MORE: Emergency services extinguish 1.5 acre fire on Canford Heath
It comes just a month after a huge fire devastated a large part of the heath.
That blaze affected an area then size of 23 football pitches and the service also believed it to have started due to human intervention.
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