Firefighters battling a large wildfire near a nuclear power station in Suffolk said they are making “good progress” as engines were brought in from London to help extinguish the blaze.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident after being called to reports of a fire at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Late on Thursday afternoon, the service said the area affected had grown to 150 hectares – the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches – with 18 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters at the scene.
Fire expected to burn for two more days
Authorities in Suffolk said on Thursday evening that they expected crews would be battling the blaze for the next two days, with the fire service confident they are “moving in the right direction”.
A statement from the fire service said: “Although the fire is dynamic, it remains stable and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is making good progress and confident that tactics are working and moving in the right direction.”
Six fire appliances from London Fire Brigade will be joining the efforts, it added.
No threat to Sizewell B nuclear power station
The fire is a few miles away from nuclear power station Sizewell B and the construction site for new power station Sizewell C.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Freddie Gulliver, from the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit, said there is currently no concern of the fire spreading towards Sizewell B.
On Thursday afternoon, an EDF spokesperson said the fire was “not affecting operations at Sizewell B power station”. The energy supplier said it was “closely monitoring the situation” and it is understood Sizewell B has an emergency plan in place that covers a range of scenarios including a fire on site.
Evacuations and community response
Around 50 people have been evacuated from their homes and a local holiday park to Westleton, whose village hall now serves as a rest centre.
Mr Gulliver told journalists that the local community has been “absolutely fantastic” in opening up their homes, adding only a few people will need to stay in the rest centre on Thursday night. He praised the local people that run the village hall, adding: “They’ve been absolutely brilliant at looking after everyone, so I want to stress my thanks and gratitude to everyone involved.”
Suffolk County Council said Cliff House Holiday Park, containing some 200 caravans, had been completely evacuated as a precaution.
Lisa Gordon, 54, on holiday with her husband and dog in their touring caravan, evacuated from Cliff House Holiday Park on Wednesday night. Mrs Gordon told the Press Association: “Just looking at the pictures… it’s quite worrying how close it is to the park now.” She added that when she and her husband were told to leave, they could see smoke behind the trees.
Fire spreads to RSPB Minsmere nature reserve
The fire service posted a video of damage caused by the blaze, which has spread to parts of RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, showing blackened trees and scorched ground.
Power has also been cut to three postcodes across Suffolk, according to an update on Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service’s website on Thursday afternoon. The power cut currently affects 116 customers and teams from UK Power Networks (UKPN) are working to fix the issue. UKPN has not yet confirmed when the power will be back on, the fire service added.
Hot and dry conditions
Temperatures soared across parts of the UK on Wednesday, reaching into the 30s in some places. According to the Met Office, Suffolk has only received 2% of its average monthly rainfall for July so far. The forecaster said on Thursday afternoon other counties have recorded as low as 1% or 0% of average rainfall for July, with Friday being the last day of the month.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to host an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the outbreak of wildfires in Britain, including in Suffolk.
