Fire crews across Devon and Cornwall are asking residents not to carry out controlled burns after a series of wildfires broke out in the last 24 hours.
On Tuesday, firefighters dealt with two separate wildfires in Cornwall, one at Mawgan Porth and the Porth area of Newquay. People living nearby were told to keep doors and windows shut because of a smoke plume.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service also sent four appliances to a wildfire in Carnmarth, near Lanner.
In Devon, firefighters tackled a grassland blaze in Mincinglake Valley Park that forced several people to leave their homes. Officials said on Wednesday morning that crews were still "on scene monitoring and dampening down hot spots".
At the Carnmarth fire, crews said smoke was visible in the area, including Lanner and Redruth, and asked people travelling through to take care.
Another large fire was reported at Advent, Camelford, at about midnight on Wednesday.
Devon Wildlife Trust said the fire at Mincinglake Valley Park had been devastating and that it would take "a number of years" for wildlife to recover.
Land manager Matt Boydell described it as "pretty devastating".
He said: "The elements of the grassland and some of the scrub has been lost, but those are the elements that do come back quicker.
"Luckily, from a very quick look, it looks as though some of the sort of larger trees haven't had too much damage, which is a real relief because, obviously, those are the elements that take decades to return.
"The amazing thing with wildlife is, if you give it space and you give it time and some support, it will recover and it will recover back to what it was."
Labour Exeter City Council member Liz Pole was at the scene at Mincinglake on Tuesday and said the "thick smouldering embers" were alarming.
"It was just mostly the dry grass that was combusting and so there was just a lot of smouldering," she said.
A hosepipe ban is in force across Devon and Cornwall due to the hot and dry weather putting pressure on water supplies. More than two-thirds of England are officially in drought.
Cornwall's fire service said the ground and vegetation conditions remained "exceptionally dry" and would "significantly increasing the risk of fire spread".
It said: "Without an immediate and effective means of extinguishment, a bonfire or controlled burn can quickly escalate and become difficult to control, placing people, property, wildlife and the environment at risk.
"We also ask everyone to exercise extra caution when using barbecues, disposing of smoking materials and enjoying Cornwall's countryside, coastline and open spaces."
Follow BBC Cornwall on X, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Follow BBC Devon on X, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to [email protected], external.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk — Read the original article
Wildfires across South West spark warnings of controlled burns