Residents warned to keep doors closed after Caerphilly grass fire
The blaze near Machen follows a rise in deliberate fires over the weekend
Residents close to a grass fire in Caerphilly have been adviced to keep windows and doors shut because of a grass fire.
Crews have been at the scene of the blaze in Machen during yesterday evening, and into the night .
South Wales Fire and Rescue say deliberate grass fires have been killing wildlife and endangering lives across the area - they've asked people to call 101 if they have any information.
The service say crews say a rise in wildfires over the weekend, attending nearly 80 deliberate grass fires.
And they've warned those starting them are wasting critical resources.
They say incidents usually require multiple fire engines, specialist wildfire vehicles and a helicopter at the scene working in partnership with police colleagues, Natural Resources Wales and the local authority.
One incident, suspected as deliberate, burned a short distance from Abercarn Station, putting essential fire and rescue service personnel and facilities at risk, with another incident burning over 11 hectares putting livestock and property in jeopardy.
Head Of Community Safety and Partnerships, Dean Loader, said:
“This weekend our crews have attended many grass fires across south Wales which we believe have been started deliberately. Some of the fires have been incredibly demanding and has seen our crews working in challenging conditions to ensure the fire does not spread and impact the local community and further damage the surrounding area and wildlife.
Diverting our resources to deal with deliberate fires will draw fundamental and valuable resources away from our communities, placing unnecessary risk to life. This needs to stop.”
Sergeant Andy Jones, Communities and Partnerships, South Wales Police:
“Sadly, over the weekend we lost many acres of our beautiful landscape to deliberate grassfires. Every grass fire poses a serious risk to the public and to property and the emergency services are doing everything they can to tackle this issue. I would like to pay tribute to our fire service colleagues who are working tirelessly to limit the damage caused. The demand upon the fire service is huge and their abilities to respond effectively to other emergencies can be hampered. Our officers are out patrolling every and they are making use of drones, CCTV equipment and bikes to cover as much ground as they can. But they cannot be everywhere at once.
"The onus is upon the public – my plea is for everyone to make a stand now, to prevent further damage and to avoid a potential tragedy which could be just one grassfire away. Anybody who suspects they know somebody who is responsible should contact 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency and never put yourself at risk.”