A bungalow and garage have been completely destroyed by a fire in the Gower village of Llanmadoc. Four crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and one from the South Wales service area were mobilised at 11.21am on Sunday. They extinguished the fire and remained on site to monitor for hotspots, leaving just after 3.30pm.
Cause not yet known
The fire service confirmed: "The property and garage were completely destroyed by the fire." The cause of the blaze has not been established at this stage. Smoke was seen billowing from the lane, and a police helicopter flew overhead during the incident.
The lane where the fire occurred is off the square at the end of the village, with a small number of houses on one side and fields and hillside scrubland on the other. Llanmadoc has a pub, community shop and cafe, and is popular with walkers. It is part of a wider administrative area that also includes Llangennith and Cheriton.
Community response
Councillor Martin Pashley, chairman of Llangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton Community Council, said everyone at the council was deeply saddened to hear about the "devastating fire" and that their thoughts were with those affected. "We would like to express our sincere thanks to the emergency services for their swift response, professionalism and hard work in dealing with the fire," he said. "At this difficult time, the council will continue to liaise with the relevant agencies and do what it can to support those affected and the wider Llanmadoc community."
Separate moorland fire
Firefighters have also been dealing with an unrelated fire at Tankey Lake Moor on the other side of the hill, which has repeatedly reignited since August 10. Councillor Pashley said at one point it was around 100m from his home and that firefighters attended again on Sunday night.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has been dealing with many wildfires, including a large one in the Rhandirmwyn area north of Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, which started last Wednesday. Significant progress has been made, and the fire, which set pine trees and moorland ablaze, has been downgraded from a major incident. Some rain is forecast this week for mid and west Wales, but ground conditions remain extremely dry.
