Surrey Fire and Rescue Service working to raise awareness about wildfires
In recent years wildfires in heathland areas have become increasingly common.
It’s ‘Wildfire Awareness Week’, and Surrey Fire and Rescue service are running a number of events to educate the public about the issue.
In recent years wildfires in heathland areas have become increasingly common. Experts believe this is due to the long-term impact of climate change.
In Surrey, the local area has been affected several times in recent years.
In May 2023, 10 hectares of land were burnt during a blaze at Frensham Common.
In July 2022, at least eight hectares of land were affected by a major wildfire at Hankley Common near Elstead.
In April 2021, Hankley Common was again the site of major fire damage.
Adam Bolton from Surrey Wildlife Trust said:
"We lost about 20% of the land that we manage a year or two ago to wildfires on large heathland sites - and it just has a hugely detrimental effect to the wildlife. There's some really important species that use our heathlands, they are endangered and are very rare in this country.
"One of our rarest reptiles, the sand lizards, lives on our heaths as well as rare birds like the Nightjar, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler.
"And their populations can be really badly affected by wildfires, particularly because the fires tend to happen when they're nesting in the summer months in the spring and summer months."
The fire service are providing information to the public about how to help prevent wildfires and their potential dangers.
Sessions will run at Frensham Common on Friday and Lightwater Country Park on Saturday.