100 firefighters battle Bovington heath blaze (From Thisisdorset)

100 firefighters battle Bovington heath blaze

9:00am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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ONE hundred firefighters tackled an inferno on Army firing ranges at Bovington.

Crew from 15 engines and eight Land Rovers were called out to fight the flames on the Mexe Range at Clouds Hill.

Firefighters said that they were initially called out to a small fire at 8pm on Tuesday night but had to send for reinforcements after high winds fanned the flames.

Group manager Mike Cox said: “Due to the weather conditions and high winds it escalated to a size which required 100 firefighters including 15 appliances and eight Land Rovers.

“We extinguished the fire using beaters and hose reel jets. We prevented the fire from spreading to the adjoining forest and conservation area.

“It was difficult fighting the fire due to the terrain and weather conditions.”

Firefighters attending included crews from Weymouth and Portland, Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford and Dorchester.

Police closed roads around the blaze from 8pm to 11pm. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 11pm but some, including the Dorchester crew, stayed at the scene to keep watch on the flames and check it was out.

Mr Cox said that the fire service had been called on the site by the landowner, the Ministry of Defence, and that it was not investigating the cause of the blaze.

He said that service was handing the incident to the MoD for it to deal with.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Christopher Donaghy, Commandant of the Bovington and Lulworth Training Area, said: “The fire was under control by 11.15pm – nothing was damaged except some burned heathland.

“We don’t know what cause it yet, we’re carrying out an investigation.

“The Armour Centre guardroom boys got there slightly before the fire brigade and provided assistance.”

He added: “We were impressed with the fire brigade and they probably did a lot more than we were aware of. It’s not thought to be suspicious at the moment.

“We believe it was the result of pyrotechnics such as a training flare.

“That’s an initial suspicion rather than something we’ve found out.”

Bere Regis resident Hayley White, 21, who works as a stylist at Snippets hair studio in Bovington, said: “I heard sirens on Tuesday evening and it seemed to go on for ages.”

A Bovington woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I heard all the sirens and looked outside – I could see all the fire engines going up the hill and out of the village.

“I worry about the animals that live on the heathland.”