AN area of heathland now believed to be equivalent in size to 100 football pitches was destroyed in a huge wildfire at a Christchurch beauty spot yesterday afternoon.

Around 80 firefighters tackled the blaze at St Catherine's Hill, where flames towered up to 35 feet into the air in places.

See all the pictures of the fire at St Catherine's Hill in a gallery

And this morning, fire investigators have confirmed that the blaze is suspected to have been started deliberately.

A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said crews were in attendance into the early hours of this morning.

"The damage to the heath consists of three separate areas of heath of sizes half, one and 70 hectares, which were destroyed by fire. 

"The fire is believed to be deliberately ignited."

A spokesman from Dorset Police said the fire is believed to have been started deliberately and officers are investigating.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dorset Police on 101, quoting crime number 31:260. 

Scores of dog walkers and ramblers were directed away from the blaze by police, as at one point strong winds fanned a 400-metre fire front at dangerous speeds.

Dorset Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) worked at the scene throughout much of the night to monitor the situation.

DFRS assistant commander Craig Baker said: "At one point the fire was 800 metres by 800 metres.

"It is a very large heath fire. It’s probably one of the largest heath fires we've had for a couple of years."

The St Catherine's Hill fire was the second of two heathland blazes attended by DFRS - a smaller fire at East Stoke reported at the same time stretched resources.

At the height of the fire at St Catherine’s Hill, which is owned by Christchurch Borough Council, firefighters from Dorset and Hampshire were drafted in to tackle the blaze.

Residents from as far away as Wimborne and Castlepoint reported seeing smoke billowing into the sky as strong winds fuelled the flames.

The inferno, which was reported to the fire service around 1pm, raged for several hours before the crews were able bring it under control. 

Local resident Richard Johnston said it was one of the worst heath fires he had ever seen.

He said: "I've not seen a fire like this up here for a long time. It could be the worst one in recent years."

Smoke from the fire could be seen from several miles away.

Window cleaner Frankie Hillman said he saw the smoke from Castlepoint shopping centre when he was getting his lunch.

And Michael Orman told the Echo he could see smoke from as far away as Badbury Rings near Wimborne.

Mr Baker said eight fire engines, ten Land Rovers and well as specialist water carriers were sent to the scene.

He said the strong winds hindered the firefighters’ throughout the afternoon.

“The wind has been very strong,” he explained. “That has had a direct effect on the flames and how the fire developed.”

A probe into the cause of the fire started last night.

The hill, which spans across 35 acres, is home to a large number of important wildlife species and forms part of a larger area of sensitive heathland, which is jointly managed by Christchurch Countryside Service, RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).

James Anderson from ARC was one of the first ARC wardens on scene.

Speaking from the scene, he said: "We all got paged and headed straight up here - we were at the other side of Bournemouth when we first heard. These fires do a lot of damage and can move quickly, so we're trying to make sure no-one is caught up in it."

Heathland experts were due to examine the damage caused as soon as firefighters gave the all clear.

A Dorset Police spokesman said officers were called to the scene to assist the firefighters to keep the public at a “safe distance”.

No one was injured in the blaze and paramedics were not requested to attend.

A second heath fire in East Stoke was reported to the fire service less than ten minutes before the blaze in Christchurch.

At around 1pm, four fire engines and four off-road vehicles were called to the scene. They extinguished an area approximately 300m2 in the middle of the heathland.

Mr Baker said crews left the scene at around 3pm, which enabled more resources to be sent over to St Catherine’s Hill.