A HUGE swathe of Poole heathland devastated by an intense fire will take up to quarter of a century to fully recover, wildlife experts say.

Firefighters, who have refused to rule out arson as a cause of the blaze, spent hours tackling the inferno on Canford Heath earlier this week.

When the dust settled it became apparent an area the size of 15 football pitches had been destroyed.

More than 60 firefighters worked to stop the blaze consuming more of the protected heathland, which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

At the height of the blaze, strong winds whipped the flames more than 20 ft into the air. After surveying the damage, Amy Schuring, a senior warden for the Urban Heath Partnership, told the Daily Echo: “It will take anything up to 25 years for the area to get back to the way it was before this fire.”

She added: “The site destroyed was a really nice area of mature heather, so it would have been ideal as a Dartford Warbler nesting site. Obviously, this has now gone for them.”

Miss Schuring also confirmed the heathland was home for many of Dorset’s rare reptiles.

“I had a quick walk over the fire site and the damage is so intense,” she said. “I cannot see how any remains of reptiles would still be there. But they would have definitely been affected.”

Ten fire engines and five Land Rovers were called to the incident, which began around 2pm on Wednesday. Crews used beaters and hoses to extinguish the flames.