Isle of Man warning over disposal barbeque fire risk

People on the Isle of Man have again been urged not to use disposable barbeques in the countryside after a large fire.

The warning comes after the blaze broke out on the headland at Groudle Glen, in the east of the island, on Saturday.

It is thought to have been caused by a discarded barbeque.

Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service said there was a "high risk of another incident" if people continued to ignore the warning.

It follows a similar plea last week after fires broke out in Port Soderick.

Crews from Laxey and Douglas spend several hours tackling the fire on Saturday, before returning on Sunday morning to dampen down hotspots.

A fire spokesman said: "Crews discovered two disposal barbecues and a number of glass bottles left after a group of people had been drinking.

"We would ask members of the public not to use disposable barbecues in the countryside with the high risk of another incident like this happening."

The blaze, which took 50,000 litres of water to extinguish, had put more demand on the island's fresh water stocks, he added.

A hosepipe ban is currently in force on the island due to low reservoir levels.

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