Heath fire extinguished on Dewlands Common in Verwood

Both appliances from Verwood Fire Station were deployed at 4.05pm on Saturday, August 20, to reports of a heath blaze on Dewlands Common.

On arrival, the crew was met with a well-developed fire covering an area approximately 30m x 30m.

One resident, who looks after three rescue ponies in a field near her home, told the Echo she was alerted at around 4pm by two neighbours who said they saw a small flame near her ponies.

Heath fire at Dewlands Common in Verwood on Saturday, August 20, 2022. Picture: Verwood Fire Station

She said: “It was incredibly close. Each of the houses on our road were about 100 metres maximum away from the fire. When I went out to check on the ponies you could see the flames were massive.

“From the entrance to common from our road you could see the fire raging. Probably about 10 neighbours had come to watch the firefighters put it out. There was a sense of shock but also relief because there was a northerly wind which blew the flames away from any homes.

“The fire service did incredibly well, it spread very fast so we can’t thank them enough for their quick action.”

Crews brought the fire under control quickly with two hose reel jets, one main line and an off-road vehicle. Once it was extinguished, the crew spent some time damping down the area before leaving the scene at around 6pm.

Wildlife was also displaced by the fire, with Verwood Fire Station posting a video of a mole emerging from the charred ground before before trying to burrow back down. “Poor little soul,” one woman said.

All six native UK reptile species, including the nationally rare sand lizard and smooth snake, can be found along the Common’s sandy tracks.

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said the believed cause of the fire has not yet been reported.

In a social media post about the incident, a Verwood Fire Station spokesperson said: “The countryside is still extremely dry and fires can and will grow and spread incredibly quickly.”