60 firefighters tackle heath fire in Dorset

The blaze quickly spread due to the dry and windy conditions

Author: Maria GreenwoodPublished 6th Apr 2021
Last updated 7th Apr 2021

More than 60 firefighters were needed to tackle a heath fire in Dorset yesterday afternoon. (5 April)

Crews were called to White Sheet Plantation near Wimborne.

The fire spread quickly due to the dry and windy conditions.

Local people were asked to avoid the area.

A spokesman for DWFRS said:

"As at 8pm, there were fire crews in attendance from Wimborne (x2), Ferndown, Poole (x2), Swanage, Verwood, Christchurch, Sturminster Newton, Blandford and Redhill Park, together with small 4Ă—4 appliances from Wimborne, Ferndown and Ringwood; water carriers from Ringwood and Poole; a support appliance from Hamworthy; and the Unimog from Wareham."

The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

Yesterday an Amber Wildfire Alert was issued for the Dorset and Wiltshire area due to the dry and windy conditions.

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