Warning after woodland blaze

WARWICKSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has issued a stark warning about the potential dangers posed by bonfires and barbecues in the hot dry weather.

The warning comes after a crew from Coleshill fire station was called to deal with a woodland blaze caused by an out-of-control bonfire.

The swift response by firefighters helped stop the blaze from spreading and causing more severe damage.

It wasn’t the only fire crews attended over the weekend. On Saturday, firefighters from Rugby were called to a blaze in Brinklow caused by a disposable barbecue.

Again, a swift response was key to the situation being more severe.

On Sunday Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted: “The crew from Coleshill have just returned from a bonfire that had got out of control and spread to woodland area.

“The fire spread was due to the ground being very dry.

“Crews acted quickly to stop the fire spreading further to save the surrounding trees area and wildlife.”

In another tweet on Sunday the fire and rescue service said: “The crew from Rugby were called to Brinklow yesterday morning to extinguish a fire caused by a disposable BBQ. With the hot weather the ground is very dry.

“This fire could have easily been much worse had someone not spotted it and called 999.”

Following the tweet regarding the woodland blaze dealt with by the Coleshill crew, Warwickshire Fire and rescue Service tweeted a warning on bonfires due to the hot and dry weather spell.

It said: “Please think twice before having a bonfire.

“The ground is so dry, that any fire could easily spread, causing significant fire damage. Incidents like this also require a large amount of resource, all for a fire that is completely unavoidable. So please don’t do it!”