Hillside blaze re-ignites as firefighters battle flames into fourth day
Fire crews were still at a hillfire on the edge of Llangollen yesterday four days after it began.
The gorse fire on Llantysilio Mountain, a well known beauty spot, had been extinguished by firefighters after it broke out on Wednesday night.
But it re-ignited and the fire service had to return. Yesterday afternoon one crew was still on the hillside to ensure the fire was completely out.
With the area popular with walkers roads and footpaths in the area around the fire were closes.
The Llangollen blaze was the latest to hit countryside in Shropshire and Mid Wales in the heatwave.
Last week more than 50 firefighters were sent to tackle a large woodland fire at The Bog, near Stiperstones in Shropshire.
The fire spread over six hectares of land by the time it was put out.
Fire services from Wales and Lancashire were also called to assist Shropshire crews, with a dozen fire appliances, including six fire engines and a further six water carriers and specialist vehicles attending.
Kevin Roberts, Senior Fire Safety Manager, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our thanks go out to our firefighters who are working hard in challenging and arduous conditions to combat wildfires in the region – and we’re also grateful to the employers of our retained staff who have released them from work to assist us with incidents.
“We’re thankful for the support we’ve received from our communities and ask people to keep well away from the incident areas - both for their own safety and to allow firefighters to tackle the fires effectively.
"If you live in an area affected, please ensure doors and windows remain closed.
“It is exceptionally hot and this weather looks set to continue - so it’s important that everybody takes extra care when they are out and about in the countryside to help reduce the risk of fire.
“In these dry conditions, fires involving grass, bracken and heather can develop extremely quickly, especially in raised winds, and fires can soon get out of control and spread to neighbouring properties or forestry, with the need for us then to attend to extinguish them.
“Therefore I’d like to reiterate our important advice on avoiding fires like this - it is more important than ever in these conditions to make sure that any smoking materials are discarded and extinguished properly. If you are out camping, again make sure that campfires or barbeques are fully extinguished. Better still, avoid open fires altogether in this dry period.
“These fires place tremendous pressure on our resources, with firefighters tied up for a considerable length of time working to bring them under control. We are managing fire cover attending other incidents as well as these grass and gorse fires. Quite often grass and gorse fires also happen in areas where access is extremely difficult and water supply is limited.
“Remember - setting fires is a criminal offence and we are actively working alongside North Wales Police to combat deliberate incidents – those found to be responsible will be prosecuted.
