ONLY the prompt action of firefighters and wind conditions prevented a weekend heath fire in Poole from raging out of control, on the same shocking scale as the Upton Heath blaze.

Just three weeks after Upton Heath, on the outskirts of the town, was ravaged by the largest wildfire in Dorset for decades, a blaze at Canford Heath on Saturday night threatened to wipe out valuable wildlife.

Dave Arundel, station commander at Christchurch fire station, was alerted amid fears that two crews of Poole firefighters would not be able to contain the blaze.

He told the Daily Echo: “The Canford Heath fire had the same potential to cause destruction as the Upton Heath blaze.

“Only the quick actions of the Poole crews who managed to get it under control in 10 minutes prevented what could have been a major heath fire.

“Thankfully, the wind wasn’t as bad as when the Upton Heath fire broke out. But if the crews hadn’t been able to tackle it so quickly it could still have got away from us.”

He added: “I live in Kinson and by the time I got there the Poole crews had managed to contain it.

“After realising the fire had the potential to escalate in size, watch manager Dave Cooper had requested assistance from Wimborne, Ferndown and Wareham. The plume of smoke could be seen from Wimborne.”

Firefighters used beaters and hose reel jets to extinguish the flames on a 500 square metre patch of the heath after being scrambled at 8pm.

Dorset police are investigating the cause of the blaze, which is being treated as suspicious.

Mr Arundel said: “With the school summer holidays approaching, we would urge parents to ensure they know where their children are and what they are doing.

“If their children have set fires in the past we will support families and offer counselling to ensure that those involved know the terrible consequences of playing with fire.

“As well as putting the lives of others at risk, wasting resources and diverting emergency services away from other incidents, arsonists run the risk of being fined or even jailed.”