FIREFIGHTERS rushed to tackle a heath fire at an East Dorset playing field.
Crews were called to King George V playing fields in Ferndown shortly before 3.30pm on Thursday, July 23.
Resident Jonathan Heath said: "I ran with my dogs as usual on Ferndown Common. At 3.15pm I came across a fire crew setting up to fight a fire which I could see and smell 300 yards west of King George V playing fields. One crew was setting up hoses to fight the fire.
"The fire covered about two hectares. There was a strong wind but the fire crews seemed to have good control. More crews were on their way."
Four fire engines, four Land Rover pumps and a water carrier all attended the scene.
The firefighters had the blaze surrounded within an hour and managed to extinguish it quickly.
The fire is believed to have damaged an area of heath around 40m by 15m.
A Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "We were called to King George V playing fields in Ferndown at 3.29pm for a heath fire. We sent four fire appliances, four Land Rover pumps and a water carrier.
"The fire was surrounded within an hour and the stop came at 4.45pm. Crews remain on scene to continue damping down but we are scaling back our attendance.
"An area of approx 40m by 15m was affected."
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