Fire damage to Shropshire woodland 'superficial'
The damage caused by a devastating fire at a Shropshire beauty spot is not as bad as first feared, according to the site's owner.
James Thompson, owner of the Sansaw Estate in north Shropshire, said the fire at Grinshill Wood, near Wem, earlier this month had caused "superficial" damage only and said he hoped the land would regenerate quickly.
Extra patrols will be carried out in the woodland in the wake of the fire, which broke out on July 10 when sun reflected on a broken bottle that had been left in the undergrowth.
It took more than 50 firefighters about 36 hours to put the fire out and the flames – which came very close to houses – could be seen for miles around.
Estate owners had initially feared the woodland could take up to two years to recover from the blaze, but Mr Thompson today allayed those concerns.
He said: "We have had a thorough inspection of the damage and although it looks dreadful, thankfully the damage appears to be fairly superficial.
"There is some felling and general clean-up work to be done but I think it should regenerate quite quickly.
"Obviously the damage limitation is down to the quick work of the emergency services who managed to get a hold on the blaze very early on. Without their reactions it would have been far, far worse so we are truly indebted."
Steve Purslow, a fire investigator for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said in the aftermath of the blaze that firefighters had found "an awful lot" of broken glass on the site during the cleaning. He believed it could have been thrown from the top of The Cliff by yobs and warned against the dangers of leaving litter behind.
Mr Thompson said staff on the estate are now very aware of the potential for litter to cause fires and clearing it will continue to be an important part of their work on the site over the coming weeks and months.
He said: "Obviously remedial works will continue over the next few months and we will need the co-operation of walkers and visitors."
