Bodmin Moor gorse fire being treated as arson

A three-mile wide fire that broke out on a moor near Bodmin, Cornwall on Thursday is being treated as arson.

It was the third moorland fire reported in the South West this week with a huge blaze on Dartmoor also on Thursday and one in Cornwall on Tuesday.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service urged people to be alert and said there was likely to be a risk of further wildfires this weekend.

This is because of dry undergrowth and strong winds, they said.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said the blaze near Bodmin was "being treated as suspected arson" and asked members of the public to call Devon and Cornwall Police "if they see people behaving suspiciously on moorland areas".

Speaking about the fire at Cardinham Moor near Bodmin, assistant chief fire officer, Anthony Bartlett, said: "The wind-driven aspect of this particular fire meant the fire was changing directions and travelling very quickly.

"The dark and terrain added further issues, but teams adapted and used the landscape to our benefit."

The fire service previously confirmed the fire at Rosenannon Downs Nature Reserve near Wadebridge on Tuesday was also being treated as arson.

It also reminded the public to take extra care with cigarettes and naked flames.

Firefighters tweeted about tackling the Bodmin moor fire saying it had been a "long arduous night" spent battling with beaters and monitoring from a distance.

Farmer Dominic Fairman, who surveyed the scorched grassland from his tractor on Friday morning, tweeted: "A cold dry wind and dead vegetation means the moors are like a tinderbox. Careless or arson? Wildfires are expensive and destructive."

Wadebridge fire crew said they were called soon after 23:00 GMT on Thursday and were joined by five crews from the area.

Bodmin Fire Station crew said they were patrolling the area with Bodmin Moor Commons Council to prevent further fires.

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