Residents living near Maerdy Mountain in South Wales have expressed terror and anger as yet another wildfire engulfed the mountainside, with some fearing it will take a death before the fires stop. The blaze, which broke out on Monday, came perilously close to homes on Tanybryn and neighbouring streets, with witnesses describing flames spreading hundreds of feet within minutes.
Residents fear for safety as flames approach homes
Mother of three Natasha Williams, who lives on Tanybryn, one side of which borders Maerdy Mountain, voiced the feelings of many neighbours: "It's wrong. It's ridiculous now. It's got to stop. They are putting the public and fire brigade at risk. People are really angry. I've been here all my life and never seen fires like this."
Her garden backs onto the mountain, and when the flames came close on Monday, she said she and her sons were scared but also angry and wanting to know why this keeps happening. "It's frightening. What do they get for it, for putting people's lives at risk? It is giving our community a bad name."
Locals take action to protect homes
As the flames licked perilously close to gardens and homes, some locals took their strimmers and went out to cut the parched foliage at the base of the mountain to protect themselves. This worked, but they said they will continue to be vigilant.
Lydia Jones was at home in Tanybryn with her sons aged 10 and 12 when her eldest asked if she'd seen the smoke at around 3pm on Monday. "I thought the smell of smoke was from the earlier fire in Ferndale. I came out and saw thick smoke here and I phoned the fire service," she said. Then came the fire: "The kids were terrified. It was so close I could see the flames. They were a few feet high. It spread really fast. It is ridiculous now. It's not just the residents but the firefighters, who don't get a break, who are put at risk."
Lydia, like her neighbours, believes the fire was started deliberately. "Everyone here is stressed and angry," she added. A few weeks ago, she and her husband Mark, who works at the refuse site in Llantrisant, came across some boys lighting a fire on a patch of grass on a nearby street. They went to speak to their parents, unable to believe this was happening when the ground was so parched and after so much publicity around the destruction of the local landscape.
Care worker helps evacuate bedridden client
Sarah Jones, a care worker who lives closer to the main road and several streets from the mountain, said the smell of smoke was so strong that she was concerned for a disabled client she looks after on a street adjacent to the fire. She contacted the client's family and drove up to help evacuate her bedridden client to safety.
"Me and her daughter had to use a hoist to get her out and take her to safety to her daughter's house. I live on the main road and could see the smoke and then I could see the fire starting to spread. A friend said they were evacuating Brookfield at about 6.45pm, with the fire a few feet from people's gardens. It was horrific and I was panicking."
"These fires are all the time now. There's only one mountain left here that hasn't had a fire. I don't know why they do it. It's terrible. All the wildlife is affected and the firecrews have been working at it for weeks. Someone is going to get hurt. It's only a matter of time."
Residents create fire breaks as crews contain blaze
As smoke rose from the blackened hillside on Tuesday, a group of friends gathered to watch as fire engines stood at the end of the street. Christian Griffiths and Carl Coombes said they couldn't stand by and watch as fire tore through, potentially threatening properties and homes near the base of Maerdy Mountain. They said some allotments and sheds on the mountain behind the houses had been destroyed, but the hens and dogs that had been on some of them were rescued.
"The fire came away and right across the back of the houses," said Christian. "There was one line of flames that just went right across. It was scary to see. The allotments went up in flames. The dogs and chickens were got out. About four of us went across to cut the grass and bracken at the back of the houses to stop the fire spreading. We took our strimmers and cut the grass for about an hour."
Residents said the lack of rain all summer has felt odd, and now the bone dry ground and fire has become a real risk. Their message to anyone tempted to start a fire? "Wise up," said Sarah Jones, "or someone is going to get hurt. What are you getting out of it?"
On Tuesday, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews continued to deal with the fire on Maerdy Mountain, Ferndale, and that it has been contained. A spokesperson said: "Smoke is impacting the Treorchy and Treherbert areas. Residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed and follow public health advice."
Jayne Smith, local councillor for Ferndale and Maerdy, thanked "everyone involved" in trying to get fires under control on Monday night. "There were residents creating fire breaks, the community centre on standby, residents offering shelter and residents offering assistance to the fire fighters, you were all amazing. The biggest thanks to the firefighters for everything you have done."
Sir Chris Bryant MP, who represents Rhondda and Ogmore, echoed residents' anger, saying he is "deeply angry" to see ongoing fires in his constituency. "After weeks of fires across our communities, our firefighters and emergency services should not have to be heading back out again, putting themselves in danger and spending yet more time tackling fires that devastate our mountains and wildlife. These fires are not harmless. They spread rapidly, threaten homes, damage the landscape for years to come and place enormous pressure on the emergency services. To every firefighter, and emergency service responder tonight, thank you. You should not have to be doing this again. Please, everyone, take care and think about the consequences of anything that could start a fire. We cannot keep putting our emergency services, our communities and our mountains through this."
