Firefighters have began to dig breakers around a major blaze in Suffolk using machinery from nearby Sizewell nuclear plant.<\/p>\n
A major incident was declared on Thursday morning after the heathland at Dunwich, on the Suffolk coast, caught fire. The blaze has now reached 150 hectares in size on Thursday afternoon. Initial estimates by the fire service put it at 10 hectares at 6:00am. <\/p>\n
Alex Smith, a Tactical Wildfire Advisor working on the incident, told ITV News Anglia a helicopter loaned from Bedfordshire had began to help the efforts.<\/p>\n
He said: “The helicopter and the breaks are being put in and they are having a really positive effect.”<\/p>\n
“There are 6 appliances on the way up from London Fire Brigade” he added, “to help relieve some of our crews”. Properties in the area have been evacuated, as well a caravan park with 200 caravans. <\/p>\n
At a meeting with evacuees, officials told residents that the fire is still challenging and coming from “all directions”.<\/p>\n
Mr Smith said he was “hopeful” there would be no further evacuations needed.<\/p>\n
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed 18 fire engines and 120 firefighters were at the site on Thursday afternoon and additional national assets had been requested.<\/p>\n
Incident commander Christopher May, who was at the scene, said crews would continue to “fight fire” for the next 24 to 48 hours due to the “complexity” of the blaze.<\/p>\n
Crews are trying to “minimise” the impact on the local environment as much as possible, he adds.<\/p>\n
He added: “I\u2019m devastated for the people that have had to relocate and come away. “I know it\u2019s really scary and it\u2019s quite worrying…but also really enthused by the amount of support that this community is pulled together to help those people that are affected.” <\/p>\n
Drone footage of the fire at Dunwich Heath <\/p>\n
Credit: Ryan Lovejoy<\/p>\n
Jon Lacey, the chief fire officer for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said Sizewell B was an area of concern but the fire is not currently expected to spread to the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not expecting the wind direction to change to push the fire towards Sizewell C or B,\u201d he told a press conference on Thursday, adding that the fire service is working with the Met Office and the Environment Agency to monitor weather conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cB is the main concern, but the big building site is also a priority for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe terrain and land between us, the fire, and Sizewell B and C means that it\u2019s not a significant fire spread concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo at the moment, Sizewell B and C are being monitored. We\u2019re in consultation with them, but we\u2019re not worried about fire spread in that direction.\u201dA Sizewell C spokesperson said in a statement: “We\u2019re closely monitoring the fire at Dunwich Heath. It currently poses low risk to Sizewell C, given its distance from site and watercourses in between. “Sizewell C sites and offices continue to operate as normal, but we are continuously assessing the impacts of smoke and the effects on the road network to ensure that our people remain safe and emergency services have priority. “We remain available to support the local community, in collaboration with the local council and police and Fire and Rescue Services.”<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service will have \u201call of the support\u201d it needs to deal with the \u201cvery serious\u201d wildfire in the county.<\/p>\n
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