Rural fires

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Services’ Arson Reduction and Young People Manager Lee Aspery says: “We would like to remind all residents of the dangers of starting a fire in the open, even if they are accidental.

“What may start as a small campfire or disposable BBQ can very quickly get out of control after periods of dry weather. Even a light breeze can allow a fire to spread incredibly quickly. Often rural fires present extreme difficulties for our response crews and equipment to access the location of the fire.

"Rural fires take our valuable resources away from emergency situations, such as house fires or traffic accidents, and tie our crews up for hours, even days.
 
Here is County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Services’ advice to members of the public who may be enjoying the warm weather this summer:

• Don’t light campfires.
• Only have BBQs in designated areas and ensure BBQ coals are fully cooled before disposing of them in bins.
• Take your litter home with you, especially glass bottles (sunshine magnified through the glass can start set light to the ground, spreading quickly in the right conditions).
• Ensure cigarettes are extinguished properly and not thrown on the ground.

Fires in grasslands destroy the natural habitat of wildlife and cause immense harm to our environment. Those starting fires deliberately, or by carelessness, place an unnecessary drain on our resources and can destroy acres of our beautiful countryside or parkland.

Fires in nature reserves and rural areas can cause irreversible damage to the wildlife that lives there, destroying their homes and in the worst cases, due to the fast-moving nature of some of these fires, they can be a threat to the lives of the wildlife that lives in the area.  During the past year or more, we have all enjoyed seeing our local wildlife and have realised just how important our nature and open spaces are to our lives.

We all have a responsibility to make sure that our wildlife, nature reserves, parks and countryside are protected for future generations. If you are out and about over the coming months, please act responsibly, protect the places you visit, and stay safe.