Living with beautiful views... and the constant fear of fire
IF YOU’RE looking for jaw-dropping views, then a hill overlooking this Welsh city could be fairly high on your desirability list.
Residents living near the top of Swansea’s Kilvey Hill are lucky enough to enjoy panoramic views of Swansea city centre, Swansea Docks, Swansea Bay, the lower Swansea Valley, Bonymaen, Neath and Port Talbot.
Picturesque views are a daily reality, but there’s a price to be paid for residents of this natural viewpoint.
For thousands of years, Kilvey Hill has stood guard over Swansea. It survived heavy industry, Second World War bombings, and fires which ravaged it in the 1970s.
Sadly, they weren’t the last of the fires. An orange glow and palls of smoke visible across Swansea Bay are now an all too familiar sight pouring from the top of the hill, especially during dry weather and the warmer months.
On May 17, 2019, half the hillside went up in flames, raging through the night and watched by distressed onlookers.
Forest fires are something residents have just had to get used to. “It’s part of your life,” said Mike Phippen.
Mike has lived on Kilvey Hill with his wife Barbra for 44 years. He said that since he moved there, he could pretty much guarantee a fire every year.
“Every springtime without fail, around the Easter holidays or when the kids are off from school, there’s fires.
“We do worry that it could reach our home. Luckily we have a road behind us which is about 20-30 feet from our house.”
The 72-year-old described the worst fire he had seen, which happened last year, something he admitted the family did not want to go through again.
“We were very close to it and it was a very frightening time. The flames and wind were blowing towards us and our immediate neighbours.
“It is really worrying and not a good time at all, I get so upset and annoyed at these stupid people who think it’s great fun to start a fire and watch the fire service and people in the area deal with this carnage, it’s dreadful.”
Mike said he appreciated the job the fire service were doing and how they responded to the problems on Kilvey Hill.
Mike’s son Brett is currently living with the family. He described the fires as a “bane in our lives” for the past 44 years.
The 44-year-old business owner said that something needed to be done before it got out of hand and someone was killed.
Richie Vaughan-Williams, station manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS), said the fires were a nightmare for the crews: “The place is a target particularly due to the demographic, it’s right in the centre of built-up urban areas, so lends itself to antisocial behaviour.
“The fires are dangerous and unpredictable, we work with local authorities and put fire breaks in place to stop the fire spreading to create a wildfire. It has a massive impact on us and takes us longer to respond to other emergencies.”
Sergeant Marc Davies, seconded to MAWWFRS from Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “Thousands of people in Swansea are potentially impacted by the fires.
“There is a real risk to the community, and fires here are treated with real seriousness because of the risk of the fire spreading, the demand in resources is a real eye-opener to me.
“It’s difficult to understand what goes through these people’s heads when you see these fires. It’s very easy to say that youngsters are responsible, but we tend to find that these fires start traditionally when the children break up for Easter holidays.
“Kilvey Hill is a difficult place to police effectively. We appreciate the concerns from the community and if anyone has any information then please report it to the police, online or you can do it anonymously.”