Fire reignites on Salisbury Plain, causing 'smog'

A fire has re-ignited on Salisbury Plain, less than a day after three were put out in the same location.

The blazes began on Monday, partly due to live firing exercises, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said flames were extinguished by 10:00 BST on Friday, but by the evening, people reported areas were aflame again.

One shop worker said nearby Tidworth was "engulfed in smoggy fog".

The fire service said it was aware some areas had re-ignited and it was liaising with the MoD which said the fire seemed "to have died down" by Saturday morning.

People took to social media to complain about the smell of smoke and smog coming from the plain again on Friday.

"Obviously the fire has started again," said Andrew Connolly who runs the SPAR shop in Tidworth.

"Tidworth was enveloped in this fog, this smog," he told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

He said it did clear quite quickly but added: "It does make you worry that it's possibly closer than it really is."

Following Monday's blazes, residents were advised to stay indoors and shut their windows on some of the hottest days of the year.

The fire service said: "We are unable to assist at this time as we cannot safely extinguish the fires due to their location but we will continue to monitor the situation."

The MoD said: "We've noticed a small amount of smoke which seems to have died down again while we're watching."

It suggested people used the Met Office's wind map to track which direction the smoke would likely go if the fire started back up.

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