Fifty firefighters tackled a blaze on heathland near a school in Poole on Thursday.

The fire near Haymoor Junior School scorched through an area of gorse and heath from around 12.30pm.

School children broke up for the summer on Wednesday, however some staff were in the building before being evacuated.

The blaze was also under electrical pylons, which caused some concern for the fire service.

Bournemouth Echo:

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service used 12 appliances to deal with the incident.

Police and local authority officers supported the operation, including digging a fire break which helped to bring the fire under control.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Station manager Julian Lockwood said: “We had a four hectare square fire on gorse and heath.

“We cut a 10m firebreak at the bottom of the school grounds to stop the fire spreading.

“There was a worry about the fire affecting the pylons. We heard loud bangs when we first got here, but it was the fire. The school has not been affected and hopefully this proves to be an isolated incident.”

Kate Carter, executive headteacher of Haymoor Junior School, said the emergency services did an “incredible job”.

Bournemouth Echo:

“We are still not 100 per cent sure what exactly started the fire, but as soon as we saw how close it was to the school we evacuated the buildings,” she said.

“The school holidays started yesterday, so thankfully there were no children in the school, but some staff were in the building.

“We are very relived that no one was hurt - and that there were no children in the building, as the smoke was also extensive. We are very grateful to the fire and police service for their speedy and efficient handling of the situation. It has literally saved our lovely school.”

The fire was the latest incident in an extremely busy period for the fire service during the hot and dry weather.

Bournemouth Echo:

Mr Lockwood said a lot of crews are spending time dealing with small heath fires and conditions can make them develop quickly.

“The land is like a tinderbox at the moment,” he said.

“This was quite a large heath fire. We need the public to be vigilant, especially now schools have broken up.

“People must dispose of items like barbecues safely.”