Holt Heath fire: Major incident declared as 100 firefighters tackle Dorset blaze

A major incident has been declared as two largeheath firesspread rapidly in Wimborne.

Around 100 firefighters are battling a blaze of approximately. 1,000m x 800m at Holt Heath, near Wimborne, with crews drawn from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and from neighbouring fire stations in Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Devon and Somerset fire and rescue services.

The windy conditions are fanning the flames and causing rapid fire spread, with 20 homes near the fire front evacuated as a precaution. Local residents have also been advised to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke, which is visible from some miles away. It comes after reports of a dad's desperate phone call moments before explosion kills him and his daughters.

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The Holt road has been closed at the junction with Higher Road and also in Holt Heath village near the pub. Firefighters also remain at Newton Heath, near Swanage, for a heath fire affecting 21 hectares that has been burning since last Sunday.

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. We are extremely grateful to our neighbouring services for the support they are giving us, and I can only praise all of our staff who are working so hard in extremely arduous conditions to bring these fires under control.”

He added: “I would ask the public to help us by staying away from the affected areas; the fire at Holt Heath, in particular, is spreading rapidly and anyone trying to see what’s going on could be cut off very easily. We would also ask photographers not to fly drones near the fire, as we are using drones provided by Wessex Rescue to help us direct our firefighting.”

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

The hot weather has now led to an Amber wildfire alert being issued for the coming days. A final warning from the fire service said: "Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area as quickly as possible."