Fire significantly damaged wildlife, says service

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service was called to an open fire near Holt Country Park on Sunday

A large wildfire has caused "significant damage" to wildlife and breeding areas, a fire service station manager said.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service was called to a fire in the open on Norwich Road near Holt Country Park on Sunday at about 21:25 BST.

Crews from 13 stations attended the site throughout Sunday night and on Monday.

Andy Hooker, the station manager at the fire service in Holt, Sheringham and Cromer, said as the wildfire was uncontrolled " habitats are affected and places where wildlife breed are also destroyed".

The fire service has issued a warning to the public to not be complacent during dry weather periods, as the majority of wildfires were caused by "human actions".

Mr Hooker said: "It could be a number of things, unfortunately wildfires are uncontrolled fires, so they don't leave much evidence behind."

Andy Hooker says wildlife and habitats have been damaged in the fire which took place on Sunday

The service encouraged people on a day out to take a picnic rather than a barbecue, to take litter home or put it in a bin and to make sure smoking materials were extinguished.

Mr Hooker added: "In Norfolk we have some beautiful areas where people like to visit but we do encourage them to make sure they are doing the right things.

"That goes as far as taking litter home with them, especially glass bottles, barbecues... also education is key."

In July 2022, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident when it was called to 100 wildfires during record breaking temperatures of 39C (102F).

During the high temperatures Wild Ken Hill in Snettisham was subject to a wildfire which affected 33 hectares (82 acres) at the reserve.

Dominic Buscall, the manager at Wild Ken Hill, said a "significant amount" of wildlife "perished" including reptiles, amphibians and birds.

Despite the damage, months after the incident, he said the reserve was "recovering well" and the habitat was likely to regenerate in the long term.

Wild Ken Hill in Snettisham experience 33 hectares of damage following a wildfire in July 2022

Following this incident, inspectors rated Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service as "inadequate" in terms of fire prevention, but "good" at dealing with them.

Emyr Gough, from the service, said "without doubt" it would be able to cope with a similar crisis.

Crews have since used new equipment, received more training, introduced different shift patterns and have been better at giving out messages to members of the public, she said.

However, Mr Hooker said education and promoting good behaviour amongst the public is important.

"We've had the driest spring on record. A little bit of rainfall is soon absorbed by the countryside so it's important not to get complacent when going out for picnics or barbecues.

"Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service prides itself on being the last line of defence but really we need members of the public and landowners to be the first line of defence."