Firefighters in Okehampton are reporting the biggest demand on their services for many years as the continuing drought and high temperatures create the perfect conditions for destructive fires.

Countryside rangers and fire fighters are urging people to take more care over the use of BBQs especially. Dartmoor Park Authority has temporarily banned the use of open fires and disposable BBQs as they have sparked many fires. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is offering wildlife safety advice here: https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/safety/outdoors/wildfires.

Although only just over halfway through August, Okehampton fire crews have been called out more than 25 times where a specialist all-terrain vehicle, four-wheel drive or pump appliance have been deployed. An average summer month would see 10 to 15 for a whole month.

Of these, call-outs, 17 have been heat and fire related with the cause often careless use of fires such as disposable BBQs or discarded cigarette butts causing tinder dry grass and under growth to go up in flames in gardens and on Dartmoor.

In one incident last weekend at Smallacombe Mary Tavy, six pumps were used with crews from Yelverton, Princetown, Okehampton and Greenbank in Plymouth assisting with a water bowser from Plympton. The 999 call was made by a dog walker and the cause is believed to be arson.

The blaze, in moorland undergrowth, was attended during Sunday night, but the fires broke out again again at Brentor near Mary Tavy.

Fire engines from Tavistock, Yelverton and Okehampton as well as the water bowser from Danes Castle, Exeter and all terrain vehicles from Tavistock and Okehampton. It is believed this was the remnant of a previous fire and firefighters were on scene for four hours.

Okehampton Fire Station Manager Austin Kiely said in common with colleagues throughout Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, his crews often attended wildfires in shared shifts: ‘Because wildfires are so difficult to put out totally in tinder dry undergrowth during the very dry weather, we often back up Tavistock as a neighbouring station, by sharing the shifts. So we might take over from them or the other way round to make sure the small pockets of fire don’t flare up again.’

Last weekend included operations on Dartmoor, Totnes, Brixton, Plymouth and Tavistock.

Austin said: ‘We’ve not had such a busy time for many years and it’s the same across Devon & Somerset and Cornwall too. Tavistock have been called out 25 calls this month and it’s about he same for us.

‘All of us can be at a wildfire for many hours as the undergrowth and grass is so dry.

‘It’s not all on the moors though, there are also garden and play area fires. We supported a call-out to St Budeaux in Plymouth where a fire spread from a field to several house gardens and sheds.

Residents have supported firefighters by providing buckets of water, hoses and supplied cold drinks during heatwave temperatures of about 30C.

Austin asked people to help reduce the risk of fire: ‘Please help us out over the next few days whilst it remains extremely hot.

‘Please don’t have any barbecues or bonfires and make sure cigarettes are put out, these are where the majority of the fires we attend can be prevented. Stay safe and enjoy the weather.’

Retail stores have confirmed they have stopped selling disposable BBQs while the extreme conditions continue, because they are a major cause of grass and heathland fires.

A typical few days for fire crews during the drought included Okehampton and Tavistock being called out last week when a crew with the off road vehicles went to Totnes to a field fire involving crops and a combine and the next day crews from stations across the region manned 12 appliances, the four-wheel drive vehicle and the all-terrain vehicle at a similar incident in Brixton.