Renewed fire warning after more gorse fires

Firefighters in Devon and Cornwall are urging residents and visitors to avoid lighting bonfires or barbecues after receiving a "high volume" of calls over them.

It comes after crews from Perranporth, St Just and St Ives tackled a fire which destroyed 25sq m of gorse at Madron, near Penzance, on Saturday night which was thought to have been started deliberately.

Crews from Truro and Tolvaddon tackles a grass and gorse fire at Tregavethan on Saturday, and Braunton fire station in Devon also issued a warning after a hot barbecue was put in a bin.

The Cornwall service said it had had a "high volume" of 999 calls since Saturday evening and asked people to "avoid carrying out controlled burns".

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A spokesperson said the conditions increased the risk of fires spreading.

They said the service was unable to respond to reports of neighbours having barbecues, bonfires or campfires in their gardens unless there was an emergency.

They added the service supported the government's message about avoiding starting fires and added it "would strongly advise against having bonfires, fireworks, campfires or disposable BBQs during this period".

They warned fires could "spread quickly and become difficult to control, putting your home and neighbouring properties at risk".

The government sent out a wildfire emergency alert to millions of mobile phones last week, warning against "any activity that could start a fire", saying there is a "very high risk of wildfires nationally".

Crews from Braunton's fire station said on social media that people needed to "stop and think" after a passer-by spotted a hot disposable barbecue in a bin at Croyde and managed to extinguish it with water and sand before firefighters arrived.

The firefighters said: "It's hot, it's incredibly dry and emergency services are already busy.

"Something as simple as a hot BBQ thrown into a bin can quickly become another completely avoidable emergency."

Disposable barbecues have also been temporarily banned from sale over fears they posed a "significant risk to the public" as drought and heatwave conditions continue to grip the UK.

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