Wildfire warning amid hectic spell for fire crews

Norfolk firefighters tackled a straw fire in Great Ellingham earlier this month

A busy weekend for a county fire service has sparked a plea for people to be careful while enjoying the summer sunshine.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) crews have been called to 32 "fires in the open" since an amber heat health warning came into force at 12:00 GMT on Friday.

Temperatures reached around 30C (86F) in the county on Saturday and the UK Health and Security Agency has since extended the amber warning until 09:00 on Wednesday.

NFRS's head of operations, Paul Seaman, said the risk of wildfires was "very high" due to the hot and dry weather.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service's head of operations Paul Seaman

Fires in the open are described as those affecting grass, heathland or woodland areas.

The spate in recent days has mostly been small in scale, with crews called to locations including Kelling, West Winch, Thetford and Wymondham. One in Shouldham this morning was caused by a disposable barbecue.

However, some large wildfires caused major damage in the county during a July 2022 heatwave which saw temperatures pushing 40C (104F), and it is that danger which has been emphasised.

Mr Seaman said: "Over the weekend, we saw increasing numbers of avoidable fires in the open across Norfolk.

"Our crews responded quickly to contain them, but the risk of wildfires is currently very high due to the hot, dry ongoing weather.

"The cause of some of these fires were out of control bonfires, barbecues and bin fires caused by carelessly discarding cigarettes and barbecues.

"While the hot weather continues, we would ask residents and visitors to Norfolk to take extra care, not use disposable barbecues and take a picnic instead. Please don't have bonfires, as these can quickly get out of control and please discard of smoking materials safely and take litter home with you."

NFRS say that during the same weekend last year, when the weather was cooler, crews attended 13 fires in the open.

The service has also issued an appeal on social media for drivers to avoid parking over yellow hydrant covers, which are used to maintain an engine's water supply.

There are 22,000 hydrants across Norfolk and NFRS has appealed for people to take notice of the yellow 'H' markings on roads and signs.