'Largest fire in years' at Dorset heath now under control

‘Largest fire in years’ at Dorset heath now under control

Apr 24, 2022

A large blaze, driven by strong winds, at a Dorset heathland is now under control, firefighters have said.

Scenes on social media showed huge orange flames covering vast areas of rural land, with thick smoke pouring into the air at Canford Heath, Poole.

Ferndown Fire Station tweeted the blaze was “probably the largest fire in this location for a number of years”.

“At its height, there were 15 pumps, four water carriers and six off-road” vehicles, the station said.

Elizabeth Leddy, 28, from Poole, said: “The amount of smoke pluming out was like no heath fire I’ve seen before.”

Another nearby resident said the “scary” fire meant she was stuck on her road.

But Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have now said the incident, which it was initially called to on Saturday afternoon, was”now surrounded and under control”.

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“Please be aware that the road closures will remain in place and whilst our presence at this incident will be reducing, a number of resources will remain on scene overnight checking for hotspots,” the service added.

Wessex Water had been made aware of some supply issues in the area following the incident, while Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said members of the public should contact the supplier directly if the problems continued.

Enquiries to establish the cause of the fire were ongoing.

Canford Heath is known for being the largest heathland in Dorset, and the largest lowland heath in the UK.

It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a part of the Dorset Heathlands Special Protection Area.

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