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By JORDANA SEAL Published: 09:19 BST, 4 April 2025 | Updated: 09:21 BST, 4 April 2025
A fire chief claimed a devastating wildfire that tore through a rural beauty spot was ‘probably started deliberately’.The blaze, at Upton Heath, Poole, in Dorset, which has now been extinguished, burnt through the equivalent of ’40 Twickenham Rugby pitches side by side’ on Wednesday.Andy Elliott national wildfire tactical advisor at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service, said: ‘We don’t have a definitive cause at this stage and that’s actually not uncommon with wildfires, it’s very difficult to establish a cause unless there is an obvious accidental cause.’So for example someone may have had a barbecue and that may have got out of control. ‘Now it shouldn’t be, [at] these sites are there are bans in place for campfires, barbecues etc so there’s no legitimate reason for there to be a fire on that site.’It started very late in the evening so you can almost rule out accidental causes. ‘We don’t have any definitive evidence it’s deliberate, but that is the most probable cause and unfortunately that’s often the case with wildfires.’There were four fires in the area this week, which have all been extinguished and are being monitored. Andy Elliott national wildfire tactical advisor at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service (pictured) claimed a devastating wildfire was ‘probably started deliberately’ The blaze, at Upton Heath, Poole, in Dorset, which has now been extinguished, burnt through the equivalent of ’40 Twickenham Rugby pitches side by side’ There were four fires in the area this week, which have all been extinguished and are being monitored Dramatic photos and video showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters navigated dark conditions in efforts to slow the spreadSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Elliott warned that next week’s weather forecast is particularly concerning.He said: ‘We are looking at more dry weather for the rest of next week and winds that are going to be particularly concerning to us.’The fire in Upheath was the largest, it broke out shortly before midnight – the fire service was alerted at 11.44pm.Dramatic photos and video showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters navigated dark conditions in efforts to slow the spread.Mr Elliott added: ‘The fire in Upheath is still actually being fully measured but it’s probably somewhere around 50 or so hectares and a hectare is the equivalent to somewhere like for example, Twickenham International rugby pitch.’Harvey Pocklington, 19, who lives three miles away from the blaze at Upton Heath, said he feared the fire could be a danger to life.
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Fire chief claims devastating wildfire was ‘probably started deliberately’ after blaze tears through beauty spot – and warns dry weather with high winds could cause further trouble
