Cumbrian firefighters help tackle Welsh wildfires

Firefighters from Cumbria joined their Welsh counterparts to help tackle wildfires approximately 300 miles away over the weekend.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue, together with six other crews across the country, as well as the military, gave their support to South Wales Fire and Rescue, after the Welsh service struggled to deal with the number and scale of fires in their area.

On Sunday, 14 separate fires were being tackled by crews working across south Wales, including soldiers supported by army helicopters.

Cumbrian fire station manager Kieran Moyes, who was among the crews in Wales, said: "It's long, hard, physical work, and on the ground, firefighters were working close to 12-hour shifts."

About 100 firefighters had volunteered to help contain the Welsh fires, he said, with the service ultimately selecting 10 crew members to travel to Wales - which Moyes said "shows the Cumbrian attitude is pure graft".

"The hardest part of the job was getting them to stop working and have a drink," he said.

He said it was "not business as usual" to be deployed so far away from home, although arrangements of this type have existed for a long time - and could also mean non-local crews deployed to Cumbria if needed.

Moyes said tackling wildfires was particularly challenging due to the outdoor terrain and the heat of the perimetre, requiring special protective gear which was more lightweight, as well as specialist vehicles which could carry more water and travel off-road.

People living in England and Wales received an emergency alert on mobile phones on Friday afternoon, containing a message warning them not to light anything which could cause a fire.

Moyes said wildfires being caused by carelessness with items such as disposable barbecues or fireworks was "frustrating".

"Whilst we're under such pressure as a service nationally, responding to those kinds of incidents is something we could do without," he said.

National wildfire tactical advisor Andy Elliot said: "There are three primary causes of wildfires: men, women, and children.

"There are very few natural fires. We need to modify our behaviours and consider what we do in the countryside when conditions are as dry as they currently are."

Moyes agreed, saying a fire could be started by something as simple as a glass bottle being thrown in the grass and acting like a magnifying glass to start a flame.

Temperatures are expected to cool dramatically this week, with rain forecast across the country.

However, the predicted rainfall is not expected to make a big difference to the dryness across the country, with more than two thirds of England in drought, after what looks likely to be the UK's hottest summer ever recorded.

Nonetheless any rain should potentially reduce the severity of further wildfires.

But Moyes said: "I wouldn't like to say this is the end of the fires - and looking into next year, they're something we need to really consider."

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