Cornwall's firefighters 'stretched' by weekend of huge gorse fires
Crews have issued a safety warning about bonfires and BBQs after the recent spell of dry weather
A fresh safety warning has been issued after a weekend of large gorse fires across Cornwall.
The first broke out at Roche Rock on Saturday and the ground was so hot, the blaze reignited the following day.
A separate blaze at Zoar on the Lizard on Sunday night engulfed an area the size of around five football pitches.
Crews called to another at Wheal Uny near Redruth were faced with a 400m wall of flames.
Now St Austell firefighters are urging people to be careful with BBQs and consider whether they need to have bonfires.
They say crews across the Duchy have been extremely busy after the recent dry weather.
St Austell Community Fire Station shared this photo and a safety warning on Twitter, writing #stretched.
"During these increasingly dry conditions please be careful when having BBQs and consider whether you need to have that bonfire.
"Crews across the county have been extremely busy with gorse fires and fires which have spread from domestic bonfires. #stretched".
St Austell Community Fire Station
Across the border, Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service handled 200 emergency calls on Saturday alone.
Community Risk Officer Steve Fisher says they can be started by bonfires, barbecues and even used cigarettes.
"Obviously, this time of year, it is nesting season so there's lots of wildlife - birds and things nesting in gorse and long grass areas.
"So any potential fires are not only going to cause devastation to those areas, but also to the animals and wildlife that are there.
"Should a fire start, you've got real problems then with the wind driving the fire which is extremely difficult for crews to deal with and, obviously, they spread very fast.
"For us, it's looking at firefighter safety. We've got to be very careful about how we tackle those fires".
Community Risk Officer, Steve Fisher
What is the advice from firefighters?
You can read more safety advice from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service here.