'Human intervention' caused heath wildfires

Two fires on heathland at nature reserves in Dorset were due to "human intervention", a fire service has said.

More than 126 acres (51 hectares) were left charred following the first fire at Upton Heath in Poole, shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

A second fire at nearby Canford Heath, across about six acres (2.4 hectares), broke out on Thursday at about 05:30.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fires were both "down to human intervention but we've not yet been able to establish whether that was malicious or accidental".

More than 40 firefighters were sent to Canford Heath after a fire broke out shortly before 05:30 on Thursday

The fire service said an investigation would remain open, adding: "Happily there were no further fires overnight."

The fire at the Upton Heath reserve was put out on Thursday by about 20:00 with crews due back on Friday morning for a reinspection.

The Canford Heath blaze was out at about 07:00 on Thursday - firefighters left the heath by late morning.

Volunteers from the Dorset Heath Partnership have been out rescuing reptiles found alive after the fire at Upton Heath

A team from the Dorset Heaths Partnership has been busy saving as many reptiles and other creatures from Upton Heath as it can.

The team, which protects and manages Dorset's heathlands, said the fire happened at a "crucial time" for the birds that use the habitat to lay their eggs, and reptiles were "just out of hibernation to breed".

John Dadds, one of the volunteers, has been scouring the charred heath searching for survivors.

He said: "Our main priority is to try and find live reptiles because they are very vulnerable to predators with all their cover having gone.

"We try and catch them and release them on the parts of the heath that have still got cover."

The partnership is made up of 10 organisations, including the fire service and Dorset Wildlife Trust.

The Upton Heath reserve is recognised internationally for the rarity of its wildlife, including the smooth snake and sand lizard.

The 850 acres (344 hectares) of Canford Heath are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

An amber wildfire alert in place for the DWFRS area remains in place. The alert is the second to be issued this year.

It has been the driest March for more than 60 years in England and Wales. Central and southern parts of England were the driest through the month.

Current weather forecasts show no rain is predicted for the early part of April.

An amber wildfire alert in place for the DWFRS area

Timeline: Where and when were the fires?

• Monday: Moors Valley Country Park near Ringwood woodland fire near the B3180 Verwood Road at midday - it destroyed about 50 acres (20 hectares).

• Tuesday: Fire in a different area of Moors Valley Country Park on the Hampshire/Dorset border near the main entrance on Horton Road about 14:00.

• Wednesday: Upton Heath in Poole, Dorset, fire breaks out at the nature reserve shortly before 23:45 BST and engulfs over 126 acres (51 hectares).

• Thursday: Fire across about six acres (2.4 hectares) at Canford Heath about two miles (3km) from Upton Heath, reported shortly before 05:30.