Major incident declared as crews tackle two blazes

Firefighters were called to Holt Heath after smoke was spotted on Saturday morning

A major incident has been declared and 20 homes evacuated near Holt Heath as fire crews tackle two large heath fires in Dorset.

More than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze at Holt Heath, near Wimborne, which broke out at about 11:10 BST.

Firefighters also remain at Newton Heath, near Swanage, tackling a heath fire about the size of 35 football pitches that has been burning since last Sunday.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer Darren Langdown said: "We have declared a major incident both due to the size of the fire at Holt Heath, and also the impact of this and Newton Heath on our overall availability of resources."

The fire crew said the fire was moving quickly

About 20 homes near the fire have been evacuated as a precaution and residents are being advised to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke, which is visible from some miles away.

The Holt Road has been closed at the junction with Higher Road, as well as in Holt Heath village near the pub.

Mr Langdown urged the public to help by "staying away from the affected areas" and asked photographers not to fly drones near the fire.

The windy conditions are fanning the flames and causing rapid fire spread, said the fire service.

The smoke plume from the fire seen from Tarrant Rushton Airfield about eight miles (13km) away from the fire

Firefighters from neighbouring fire stations in Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Devon & Somerset have been helping to try to prevent the flames from spreading.

Mr Langdown said he was "extremely grateful" to neighbouring services for their support and praised them for "working so hard in extremely arduous conditions to bring these fires under control".

While the fire at Newton Heath is believed to have been started deliberately, the fire service said the cause of the fire at Holt Heath was currently unknown.