Major incident over after mountain wildfire saw homes evacuated

Firefighters have stood down a major incident after a wildfire in north Wales led to 36 homes being evacuated.

The blaze broke out near Conwy Mountain and the Sychnant Pass in Conwy county on Sunday.

About 200 acres of land have been affected, and one family who were forced to flee their home said the fire reached their driveway.

"The sound was worse than anything. It was so loud, the crackling. You could hear it coming down the mountain," said resident Ben Campbell.

On Monday evening road closures in the area were lifted and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was now safe for residents who were evacuated to return to their homes.

The service said the situation at Conwy Mountain, near Capelulo, has "improved significantly" and that "firefighters remain in attendance to monitor conditions and assess any ongoing risks".

A rest centre to support those impacted by the fire will remain open overnight.

Satellite imagery gathered by BBC Verify, which was captured on Sunday morning, shows the scale of the fire.

One image, taken by commercial satellite imagery firm Planet Labs PBC just before midday on Sunday, shows smoke rising and scorch marks on the hillsides behind Capelulo village, covering about a mile from north to south.

Another image, captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2 at around 11:30 on Sunday shows smoke from the fires billowing more than 12 miles north-west towards Anglesey.

Satellites used by the US space agency Nasa's Fire Information for Resource Management system have also picked up heat signatures in the same area as seen in the latest satellite imagery.

Michelle Campbell, 44, her husband Ben, 46, and their three sons fled their home in Capelulo, which is near the mountain, as the fire reached their property.

Ben Campbell said he received a missed call at 04:30, but 30 minutes later a neighbour banged on their door and said: "The mountain's on fire above your house."

The couple and their three boys - aged three, seven and eight - fled to a nearby holiday rental they own but the fire kept spreading.

They are now refuge 30 miles away on Anglesey.

The couple said a river runs near their home, and fire crews are using it to pump water to fight the fire.

"It was really scary," Michelle Campbell added.

Ysgol Pencae in Penmaenmawr and Ysgol Capelulo confirmed they were both closed on Monday due to the wildfire.

Elsewhere, firefighters remain at the scene of a moorland fire near Dovestone Reservoir in Greater Manchester after the blaze broke out on Saturday evening.

In Derbyshire, high winds caused a wildfire at Tintwistle Moor to escalate overnight.

A major incident, declared on Sunday by Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, remains in place as crews continue to tackle the blaze, which began on 24 June.

Wildfires over the weekend also affected Hampshire, Durham, West Sussex, East Sussex, Devon and Somerset.

In Capelulo, resident Rita Raweily was woken up in the early hours of Sunday by her dog "barking wildly".

"I got ready, threw some clothes on and went to see if there was anything I could do to help," she added.

The volunteer community coordinator said there was a smell of burning in the air that got worse as the wind picked up and that the area was "really smoky".

"That whole area near the house is an evacuation zone and we don't know when we are going home," she said.

"But that's fine because we are safe."

Raweily said she had "no idea" what condition her house was in but she hoped "all will be well".

She praised the "brilliant" emergency services, adding: "Houses can be replaced, people can't."

On Monday afternoon, Raweily and other residents were told they were not able to return to their homes due safety.

"Everyone is very bewildered, very confused. People are staying all over the place, some are in a hotel, people have no clue what's going on.

"People have pets, walking round with dogs on leads, cat boxes, not knowing if and when they will be allowed back home, it's quite dire," she said.

Conwy Council said it was currently supporting residents who were evacuated from their homes and has arranged accommodation for a number of households and continue to provide assistance where needed.

Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast, ex-firefighter Tim Lloyd, who also lives in Capelulo village, said it was "engulfed in smoke" on Sunday.

"The view behind where I live, we can see the mountain, but we couldn't see that yesterday, it was completely disappeared in the smoke," he said.

He said the firefighters would be battling heat exhaustion in "absolutely punishing" conditons.

"They're wearing really thick heavy clothing fire kit, which protects them from the fire but the but the negative impact of that is that is they're sort of insulated from being able to get heat out of their bodies.

"There's all sorts of things to consider, but the main concern and their main focus is on an incident such as this one is always initially to protect people and then to protect property, which they've done a fantastic job here," he said.

Cathy Augustine, county councillor for Penmaenmawr, said of the area: "Not only is it very beautiful for us but it's also really difficult terrain for the firefighters to work in, as well as being home to important wildlife."

It comes as most of Wales is deemed to be of "very high risk" of wildfires in the coming days.

Forecasters have said parts of the country will remain extremely hot and dry in the coming days as the country swelters in the third heatwave of the year.

Welsh Water has asked customers to help reduce water use after experiencing a prolonged period of high demand.

The company reported that use has risen to 17% higher than usual, with demand remaining elevated for much longer each day and into the night.

Chief customer officer, Kit Wilson said: "The extreme heat and prolonged dry weather in this third heatwave of the year means people are using much more water and for much longer throughout the day.

"Our teams are working around the clock, treating more water, moving supplies with tankers and fixing leaks. But we need customers' help too.

"Small changes made by lots of people would make a big difference. By using water wisely, customers can help us keep water flowing and avoid the need for further measures if the hot weather continues."

BBC weather presenter Sabrina Lee says high pressure is allowing for a continuation of dry conditions, and when combined with brisk winds and dry vegetation fires can spread easily.

"There are quite brisk winds from the east/north-east, but it is less breezy tomorrow and Wednesday, with lighter winds the rest of the week and into the weekend.

"There are no signs of any reliable rain in the forecast throughout the week ahead, with the emphasis on the prolonged dry spell set to continue."

Additional reporting by Benedict Garman, BBC Verify