Chobham Common wildfire: Homes evacuated as blaze continues

Crews will continue to tackle hot spots for the next couple of days

Homes were evacuated as a wildfire covering 140 acres of heath land still rages two days on.

On Friday a huge plume of smoke was seen rising from Chobham Common and multiple fire crews were sent out.

By Saturday the blaze had trebled in size but Surrey County Council said "significant progress" has been made by fire crews.

People nearby were told to leave their homes on Saturday evening, but were able to return on Sunday afternoon.

The fire spread from 40 acres on Friday to 140 on Saturday

At its peak more than 40 vehicles including fire engines, specialist units and 4x4s were at the scene.

A statement on the council's website said crews will remain on site for at least "most of the week".

It added: "A large number of resources remain on the scene... overnight the cooling air temperatures and hard work by the crews have made significant progress.

"The fire service are focusing on damping down and tackling hot spots across the common although with the weather forecasted to be hot and dry through the day this is very much still an active incident."

The fire also spread to Wentworth Golf Club.

A number of roads surrounding the common have been closed off and people have been advised to avoid the area for their own safety.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but with extreme temperatures continuing the council is urging people not to start "unnecessary fires" including lighting bonfires or using disposable BBQs in the countryside.

The council said the hot weather 'no doubt had an impact' on how the fire spread

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