Nature reserve fire a tragedy, says councillor

A fire which scorched large swathes of a nature reserve near York is "devastating" for the community, a local councillor has said.

At the height of the blaze, 10 crews tackled the blaze at Strensall Common, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon.

The 579-hectare (1,430 acre) common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Strensall councillor Tony Fisher said parts of the land that had been destroyed would take years to grow back.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze was not yet known and a crew remained there to monitor the site.

The common covers a large area with two sections - the Yorkshire Wildlife Nature Reserve run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the area used by the military for training and shooting.

According to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the nature reserve is home to more than 150 plant species and is the only place in England where the rare dark-bordered beauty moth can be found.

Fisher said the fire was believed to be about 600m away from the moth's habitat.

He added: "The fire was absolutely raging.

"It's destroyed a large expanse of the common which is such a tragedy.

"It's a big asset to Strensall so it's devastating for people who live here.

"I always say it adds about £20,000 to the value of every house because where else in the country can you get four square miles of completely open territory?"

Fisher said there was no suggestion at present as to how the fire started but praised the fire service for preventing the blaze from spreading any further.

"The dry weather has left it tinder-dry so a small spark could have easily set it off," he said.

"The firefighters and emergency services did an amazing job at controlling that fire because it nearly took the entire common out."

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