FIRE crews and police officers have tackled four fire related incidents over the Easter weekend - with one involving a visit to Wareham Forest.

At 9.31am on Saturday, April 3, Wareham Fire Station's uniMog fire truck and a fire engine were sent to Wareham Forest to investigate some smoke along with other fire engines.

This turned out to be a controlled burn spotted by two walkers.

Crews handed this incident over to the Forestry commission.

Also on Saturday, crews from Swanage Fire Station used water to extinguish a fire involving a disposable barbecue on Ferry Road in Studland.

In a post on Twitter, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Control said: "Please, really stop and think before using these. We don't want a repeat of the horrific Wareham Forest fire which caused so much devastation to our beautiful heathland."

In light of the heathland fires that occurred last year, Poole neighbourhood policing team officers were undertaking heathland patrols on Saturday.

As the weather becomes warmer, local heathland becomes particularly vulnerable due to the dry vegetation and fires can start readily, whether that be due to a discarded cigarette butt or rubbish.

This was the case in West Moors on Saturday.

At 4.09pm a pump from Ferndown and a Landrover pump from Ringwood used two hose reel jets and beaters to extinguish a small area of heath alight off Edgemoor Road in West Moors.

Later that day Verwood fire crews used two hose reel jets to extinguish a fire involving cut grass off Potterne Way in Verwood.

 

 

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