20 acres of woodland ablaze at country park
TWENTY acres of woodland were badly burnt in a fire which could be seen from up to 25 miles away.
The blaze at Pembrey Country Park was reignited at one point after winds increased, and Natural Resources Wales warned there was still a risk of it reigniting.
On Friday night firefighters were called to Pembrey Country Park to battle acres of blazing woodlands and forestry.
Crews from Kidwelly, Tumble and Carmarthen were sent to Pembrey Country Park on Friday and again on Saturday to tackle the fires after a pick up in wind reignited the blaze. Natural Resources Wales also assisted the operation, dropping water bombs from the air onto the woodland in a bid to control the blaze.
Eyewitnesses described seeing trees and grass badly burnt and smoke filling the area and said that around 20 acres of woodland were badly burnt.
Locals living in Pembrey and neighbouring Burry Port said smoke filled the entire area and witnesses from as far as 25 miles away across the estuary in Gower also described seeing smoke billowing from the area.
But the Carmarthenshire park was not the only area devastated by fires over the weekend – firefighters were also deployed to Garn Wen mountain in Maesteg and Penrhys mountain in Rhondda after blazes across acres of land.
Pembrey Country Park is usually a hotspot for tourists at this time of the year with people visiting the park’s acres of greenland as well as its popular beach, Cefn Sidan.
The park has been closed under lockdown restrictions due to the
Covid-19 pandemic, but fire crews are still urging visitors to stay away in case the fire reignites.
A spokesperson for Natural Resources Wales said: “We’ve been supporting Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service in tackling a fire at forestry we manage at Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire. The fire has now been extinguished, but there is still a risk of it reigniting.”
Kidwelly Fire Station said: “We thank the community for all your offers of refreshments and supplies. We have been inundated with kind gestures.”
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