Firefighters face ‘punishing conditions’ as crews attend more than 120 incidents over weekend

Firefighters were called to a record number of incidents over the last weekend

The fire service has said crews are working in ‘punishing conditions’ after a record number of incidents last weekend. Between Friday (July 24) and Monday (July 27), firefighters were called to more than 120 incidents – significantly higher than its three-year average of 94 incidents.

Assistant chief fire officer Stuart Smith said the hot weather is putting more pressure on the service. He said: “Our crews have been worked extremely hard by the conditions over the last few days. It is common to see an increase in fires during spells of hot weather, and we do plan for this. However, the temperatures we’ve experienced, for the length of time we have, make the conditions very tough.”

Peat fires have caused a significant issue for crews. Fires like the one at the Holme Fen Nature Reserve tend to burn over several days.

Stuart added: “Peat fires present significant challenges for us, as they are often unseen, being predominantly underground. It makes not only finding and containing the fire extremely difficult, but the heat on the floor makes it very dangerous for firefighters to tackle the fire.

“Not only this, but water supplies are also often an issue, meaning we have to commit several fire engines to ensure we have enough. Our crews have been maintaining regular presence at two separate peat fires, in Whittlesey and Holme Fen. These have been especially gruelling due to the amount of incidents crews are attending and the severe heat.”

Residents are being urged to stay fire safe. Stuart said: “We know during the school summer holidays, especially when the weather is hot like this, people want to make the most of it. We just want to highlight that everyone can do this safely just by thinking beforehand and following a few of our fire safety tips.

“Having a barbecue is a great way to get together with family and friends, but they can easily lead to a fire if people don’t follow some basic safety tips. Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the barbecue away from fencing, buildings and garden furniture, keeping a bucket of water close by, and only disposing of the charcoal ashes once completely cooled.”