Dozens of hectares of rare heathland destroyed on Holt Heath
Emergency crews say the blaze 'very nearly destroyed people's homes too'
Emergency crews say last week’s blaze on Holt Heath destroyed almost 72 hectares of internationally rare lowland heath - and very nearly destroyed people’s homes, too.
The fire service remained at the scene for a number of days, with the stop finally coming in on Friday afternoon (15 August) - nearly a week after it started.
During the week, 47 of the force's 50 fire stations have had personnel on site, often on multiple occasions.
This huge call on our resources is why they accepted help from other Services, via the National Resilience arrangements.
An Amber wildfire warning remained in place over the weekend, and their message continues for there to be no BBQs or campfires on open ground.
Emergency crews said: "Last week’s fire on Holt Heath destroyed almost 72 hectares of internationally rare lowland heath. It very nearly destroyed people’s homes, too.
"We spoke to resident, Jason Wilson, whose home was just metres away from the flames. This is his footage, taken after the fire and showing just how dangerous this fire was.
"Our Firewise Project works with communities at risk from wildfire, to support with information and simple advice. We’re grateful that the residents of Holt had already engaged with the project.
"Working with their Parish Council, our Firewise officer gets timely information out to the community, including how to prepare for an evacuation.
"We’d like to thank Holt Parish Council for working with us to help support their residents, and to Jason for his film footage.
"If you’d like to know more about Firewise UK go to www.dorsetheaths.org.uk/firewise."