A fire chief claims a devastating wildfire that tore through a rural beauty spot was ‘probably started deliberately’.
The blaze, at Upton Heath, Poole, in Dorset, which has now been extinguished, burnt through the equivalent of ’40 Twickenham Rugby pitches side by side’ on Wednesday.
The fire, which broke out late on Wednesday evening, came after weeks of drier than usual weather and amid higher than normal temperatures.
Dramatic photos had shown firefighters navigating the dark conditions as they battled the flames while smoke billowed into the sky.
The inferno is believed to have destroyed around 50 hectares of land in the beauty spot, which overlooks the south coast.
Andy Elliott national wildfire tactical advisor at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service, said this morning that while the fire had been contained and put out now, it is feared it was started on purpose.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘We don’t have a definitive cause at this stage and that’s actually not uncommon with wildfires, it’s very difficult to establish a cause unless there is an obvious accidental cause.
Andy Elliott national wildfire tactical advisor at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service (pictured) claimed a devastating wildfire was ‘probably started deliberately’
The blaze, at Upton Heath, Poole, in Dorset, which has now been extinguished, burnt through the equivalent of ’40 Twickenham Rugby pitches side by side’
There were four fires in the area this week, which have all been extinguished and are being monitored
‘So for example someone may have had a barbecue and that may have got out of control.
‘Now it shouldn’t be – [at] these sites are there are bans in place for campfires, barbecues etc – so there’s no legitimate reason for there to be a fire on that site.
‘It started very late in the evening so you can almost rule out accidental causes.
‘We don’t have any definitive evidence it’s deliberate, but that is the most probable cause and unfortunately that’s often the case with wildfires.’
There were four fires in the area this week, which have all been extinguished and are being monitored.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Elliott warned that next week’s weather forecast is particularly concerning.
He said: ‘We are looking at more dry weather for the rest of next week and winds that are going to be particularly concerning to us.’
The fire in Upheath was the largest, it broke out shortly before midnight – the fire service was alerted at 11.44pm.
After tackling the Upton Heath fire (pictured), many of the firefighters were then rushed to a second wildfire at nearby Canford Heath
The huge blaze could be seen from miles away with orange smoke pouring into the night sky
Dramatic photos and video showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters navigated dark conditions in efforts to slow the spread.
Mr Elliott added: ‘The fire in Upheath is still actually being fully measured but it’s probably somewhere around 50 or so hectares and a hectare is the equivalent to somewhere like for example, Twickenham International rugby pitch.’
Harvey Pocklington, 19, who lives three miles away from the blaze at Upton Heath, said he feared the fire could be a danger to life.
