Firefighters to battle huge Cambridgeshire blaze ‘for days’ as river water will be abstracted

Water will be abstracted from a Cambridgeshire river to help firefighters tackle the on-going wildfire

Firefighters are expected to remain at the scene of a nature reserve fire for “days to come”. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue were called to a fire at the Holme Fen Nature Reserve on Saturday (August 8) at around 10.24am. Firefighters have continued to tackle the fire since, with crews remaining at the scene to fight the fire.

A navigational closure notice has been issued by the Environment Agency to users of the River Nene between Dog in a Doublet Lock and Orton Lock near Peterborough. This is because Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue needs to abstract water from the river to tackle the on-going wildfire at the nature reserve.

In an update, a fire spokesperson said: “Firefighters have been at the scene overnight continuing to tackle the fire. Crews will remain on the scene throughout the day, and for days to come.”

This is the second fire within two weeks that firefighters have dealt with at Holme Fen. The cause of the first fire was deliberate. The cause of the second fire hasn’t yet been determined.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Due to extremely low water levels, we have issued a navigational closure notice to users of the River Nene between Dog in a Doublet Lock and Orton Lock near Peterborough.

“This action follows the very dry weather and the need for Cambridgeshire Fire Service to abstract water from the Nene, because of the on-going wildfire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve. Our officers continue to work with the Fire Service, Natural England and partners to bring this incident to a close.”