‘Deliberate’ blaze on Devon beach

A FIRE on a Devon beach which saw crews trying to extinguish the flames for much of the day is being treated as suspected arson.

The fire brigade were tied up for eight hours following the large fire on Saunton beach.

Crews from Braunton, Barnstaple and Bideford tackled the blaze on Saunton Beach for eight hours. A 50m stretch of drift wood and other debris were set ablaze.

They had to return to the scene a number of times due to the fire reigniting in the dry, warm weather.

Discarded glass bottles and used disposable barbecues were found at the scene, while the fire brigade are also not discounting the possibility of it being a bonfire which spread out of control.

A statement from Braunton Fire Station said the debris appeared to have been started deliberately as a bonfire – or from a discarded disposable barbecue.

The statement went on: “Difficult access through Braunton Burrows made the fire hard to extinguish as the crews had to carry equipment long distances by hand.

“Fire reignition occured several times over a 24 hour period and resulted in multiple call-outs, tying up crews up for eight hours in total.”