More than 220 firefighters tackle blaze on Wanstead Flats in Epping Forest
Written by News on 16/07/2018
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling a huge grass fire in Epping Forest, north-east London.
More than 225 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, the size of about 150 football pitches.
The large grass fire “is still smouldering” but the firefighters have beaten down the flames and are now damping down the earth, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
At the height of the fire, over 100 hectares of grass was alight and smoke drifted across busy roads, causing local road closures.
There is “very heavy smoke” coming from the “tinder-dry” grasslands, police warned earlier in the day.
People have been urged to avoid the Wanstead Flats by the authorities.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The LFB said the 100-hectare (one square kilometre) fire was being tackled by firefighters using 40 engines but said there is no immediate risk to property.
LFB group manager Rob Davies said: “This was a large grass fire and while Wanstead flats is an area of grass land, crews had to work very quickly to stop it from spreading.
“Smoke was making conditions very difficult for firefighters and causing a lot of disruption to local roads.
“Grass fires can embed into the ground and so while it is now smouldering, crews will be there into the night to keep damping down the earth.
“It can take a long time to properly stamp out a grass fire and while we expect to have crews at the scene for some time, we will reduce the levels of crews and equipment which will also help get roads moving again.”
He said that the LFB have attended over 20 grass fires this month due to the hot weather making the ground “especially dry”.
He warned anyone who discovers a grass fire to not attempt to put it out themselves as grass fires can travel very quickly and change direction without warning. Instead, individuals should call the fire brigade.
Metropolitan Police earlier tweeted: “Very large fire on the tinder-dry #WansteadFlats. Very heavy smoke will affect roads in the area.”
The LFB said the brigade was first called at 4.05pm and received more than 110 calls over the “very visible” fire.
(c) Sky News 2018: More than 220 firefighters tackle blaze on Wanstead Flats in Epping Forest
