Longmoor: Crews save nest of chicks at MoD firing range blaze
- Published
Firefighters rescued the chicks and took them to a local wildlife hospital
Crews tackling a large fire which broke out at a military firing range on Friday have rescued a nest of chicks.
The blaze, which escalated over the weekend, destroyed 16 hectares of forest and scrubland at the Ministry of Defence's Longmoor Camp in Hampshire.
The seven chicks, thought to be pheasants, were found alone after their mother fled the flames.
The fire service said the "lucky guys" were being cared for at a nearby wildlife hospital.
The seven chicks, thought to be pheasants, were found alone in their nest
At its height, 20 appliances from across Hampshire along with firefighters from Surrey were involved in the operation.
Dry conditions and rising wind speeds caused difficulties for crews before the blaze was eventually extinguished.
The cause of the fire is not yet known
A few firefighters using an off-road vehicle currently remain at the site.
Plumes of smoke from the blaze, which the MoD confirmed had been in the firing range's "danger area", could be seen from miles around.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
People living around the A325 area were advised to keep windows and doors shut.
The advice was lifted on Sunday afternoon.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. No injuries have been reported.
Over 16 hectares woodland and scrubland were destroyed in the fire
Follow BBC South on Facebook, external, Twitter, external, or Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external.
Related topics
- Published20 June 2023
- Published18 June 2023
- Published17 June 2023
- Published16 June 2023
