DOZENS of firefighters battled a major blaze on heath land at Lulworth Ranges yesterday afternoon.

Members of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the site – owned by the Ministry of Defence – at 2.55pm.

A spokesman for the service said: “At the height of the incident we had eight pumps and a water carrier.”

The fire engulfed some six hectares of land – around 60,000sqm.

The matter is still under investigation but the cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious.

A stop message was issued at 5.28pm.

Two years ago, around 60 firefighters were called to the same location after a fire broke out across the heath.

Crews were worked for several hours to bring the blaze under control – using hose reel jets and beaters – and the area was eventually deemed same late in the afternoon.