Meadow rises from the ashes a year after fire

An Essex meadow that was destroyed by a blaze is starting to come back to life.

On 14 July 2025, a spate of fires left Chelmer Blackwater Reserve in Maldon as a pile of soot and ash. It was estimated that restoring the walkways and bridge would cost £100,000.

A year on, Ian Harden, founding director of the reserve's Community Interest Company (CIC), said it was "devastating", but they pledged not to give it up, and birds had already made a return to the land.

He said: "We said we're not gonna leave it, we're gonna carry on and hopefully make it like a phoenix from the flames, and rise again."

He continued: "It was really emotional for us all. We'd put a lot of hard work and effort. We raised a lot of money. We built a beautiful reserve that was accessible to all, and to see it go up in flames was heartbreaking quite frankly."

Watch: Crews fight 'deliberate' fire at reserve

Chair of the CIC, Patrick Ellum, was only a short distance away when he saw the "absolute tornado of fire".

"The wind got up and unfortunately was blowing in completely the wrong direction, [it] took out all of our bridges and boardwalks that we had spent the last two years fundraising and building for.

"So that was a bit of a shock. But the community then rallied round in an amazing way."

The fire destroyed a large portion of the vegetation and some of the wildlife, which has been the slowest to recover.

Ellum said: "We're hopeful that other things will have managed to swim or burrow or run clear of the fire and started breeding again this summer.

However, the Kingfisher has returned, and Harden said you can hear the birdsong of other species.

Meanwhile, the reed beds have made an "amazing" recovery and the rare Marsh Sow Thistles "miraculously" avoided the fire

There is still some work to be done, but a new pond has been dug, and the new pathway is fireproof.

They were "delighted" to announce an open day on 26 July, between 10:00 BST and 14:00.

It will be a free-to-attend day of pond dipping, butterfly catching and moth collecting.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

'Intentional' nature reserve fires could cost £100k

Warning to shut windows after field fire breaks out