Huge gorse fire at Cornish nature reserve seen from almost 10 miles away
Multiple crews were called to Rosenannon Downs on Monday night
Last updated 8th Mar 2022
Crews from across mid-Cornwall have spent the night battling a huge gorse fire at a nature reserve.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue says the blaze at Rosenannon Downs was so big, it could be seen from Indian Queens - almost 10 miles away!
The initial call came through shortly after 8pm on Monday 7th March.
At its height, teams from Wadebridge, Padstow, St Columb, Bodmin, St Dennis and Delabole were fighting the flames.
Officials say the fire, which affected around one hectare of gorse, was brought under control and put out by around 10pm.
In a statement, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "Two appliances from Wadebridge and one from St Columb were mobilised to multiple reports of a large fire sighted on the downs at Rosenannon.
"On arrival the crew requested a further two major appliances and 2 light 4x4 appliances.
"At 21:15 a make pumps 6 request was received from the scene.
"In total approximately one hectare of gorse was affected.
"The fire was brought under control and extinguished by 22:00.
"Two wholetime officers from Wadebridge and St Dennis also attended to support the crews".
This is not the first time the nature reserve at Rosenannon Downs has been affected by fire.
In February 2021, a gorse fire destroyed around a quarter of the reserve and led to Cornwall Wildlife Trust launching an emergency appeal.