‘People are really angry. I’ve been here all my life and never seen fires like this’
Acrid smoke hangs in the air as clearly as the growing sense of anger as yet another wildfire engulfs a mountainside in South Wales. Residents, whose homes are perilously close to the Maerdy Mountain fire, admit they are frightened. But more than that they are angry and at a loss to understand why this keeps happening.
No official cause of the Maerdy Mountain fire, which broke out on Monday, has been given, but many residents are vocal in their belief that it was started deliberately.
The word on most people’s lips is “why?”. Some fear it will take someone to be killed before the fires will stop. Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
Mother of three Natasha Williams who lives on Tanybryn, one side of which borders Maerdy Mountain, expresssed the feelings of many of her neighbours: “It’s wrong. It’s ridiculous now. It’s got to stop,” she says as she comes to point out how close the flames came to homes.
“They are putting the public and fire brigade at risk. People are really angry. I’ve been here all my life and never seen fires like this.”
Natasha’s garden backs onto the mountain and when the flames came close on Monday she said she and her sons were scared, but also angry and wanting to know why this keeps happening.
“It’s frightening. What do they get for it, for putting people’s lives at risk? It is giving our community a bad name.”
Houses on Tanybryn and neighbouring streets were among those in the firing line as the blaze swept across the mountain so fast that witnesses said they watched it move hundreds of feet within minutes.
As the flames licked perilously close to gardens and homes, some locals took their strimmers and went out to cut the parched foliage at the base of the mountain to protect themselves.
This worked, but they said they will continue to be vigilant.
Lydia Jones was at home in Tanybryn with her sons aged 10 and 12 when her eldest asked her if she’d seen the smoke at around 3pm on Monday.
“I thought the smell of smoke was from the earlier fire in Ferndale. I came out and saw thick smoke here and I phoned the fire service,” she said.
Then came the fire.
“The kids were terrified. It was so close I could see the flames. They were a few feet high. It spread really fast. “
“It is ridiculous now. It’s not just the residents but the firefighters, who don’t get a break, who are put at risk.”
Lydia, like her neighbours, believes the fire was started deliberately.
“Everyone here is stressed and angry,” she added.
A few weeks ago Lydia and her husband, Mark, who works at the refuse site in Llantrisant, came across some boys lighting a fire on a patch of grass on a nearby street. They went to speak to their parents. They couldn’t believe this was happening when the ground was so parched and after so much publicity around the destruction of the local landscape.
Sarah Jones lives closer to the main road and several streets from the mountain, but said the smell of smoke was so strong that she was concerned for a disabled client she looks after on a street adjacent to the fire.
The care worker contacted the client’s family and drove up to help evacuate her bed ridden client to safety.
“Me and her daughter had to use a hoist to get her out and take her to safety to her daughter’s house. I live on the main road and could see the smoke and then I could see the fire starting to spread.
“A friend said they were evacuating Brookfield at about 6.45pm, with the fire a few feet from people’s gardens. It was horrific and I was panicking.
“These fires are all the time now. There’s only one mountain left here that hasn’t had a fire.
“I don’t know why they do it. It’s terrible. All the wildlife is affected and the firecrews have been working at it for weeks.
“Someone is going to get hurt. It’s only a matter of time.”
As smoke rose from the blackened hillside on Tuesday a group of friends gathered to watch as fire engines stood at the end of the street.
Two of the group explained they had taken their strimmers to cut dried grass and foliage to stop it catching light on Monday.
Christian Griffiths and Carl Coombes said they couldn’t stand by and watch as fire tore through, potentially threatening properties and homes near the base of Maerdy Mountain .
They said some allotments and sheds on the mountain behind the houses had been destroyed. Luckily the hens and dogs that had been on some of them were rescued, said Christian.
“The fire came away and right across the back of the houses,” he said.
“There was one line of flames that just went right across.
“It was scary to see. The allotments went up in flames. The dogs and chickens were got out.
“About four of us went across to cut the grass and bracken at the back of the houses to stop the fire spreading. We took our strimmers and cut the grass for about an hour.”
As they scan their blackened mountain at a time of year when it should be green, residents said the lack of rain all summer has felt odd and now the bone dry ground and fire has become a real risk.
Their message to anyone who may be tempted to start a fire, or encourage others to?
“Wise up,” said Sarah Jones, “or someone is going to get hurt. What are you getting out of it?.”
On Tuesday South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews continued to deal with the fire on Maerdy Mountain, Ferndale and that it has been contained.
A spokesperson said: “Smoke is impacting the Treorchy and Treherbert areas.
“Residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed and follow public health advice.”
Jayne Smith, local councillor for Ferndale and Maerdy thanked “everyone involved” in trying to get fires under control on Monday night.
“There were residents creating fire breaks, the community centre on standby, residents offering shelter and residents offering assistance to the fire fighters, you were all amazing.
“The biggest thanks to the firefighters for everything you have done.”
Echoing residents’ anger was Sir Chris Bryant MP, who represents Rhondda and Ogmore, said he is “deeply angry” to see ongoing fires in his constituency.
“After weeks of fires across our communities, our firefighters and emergency services should not have to be heading back out again, putting themselves in danger and spending yet more time tackling fires that devastate our mountains and wildlife,” he said.
“These fires are not harmless. They spread rapidly, threaten homes, damage the landscape for years to come and place enormous pressure on the emergency services.
“To every firefighter, and emergency service responder tonight, thank you. You should not have to be doing this again.
“Please, everyone, take care and think about the consequences of anything that could start a fire. We cannot keep putting our emergency services, our communities and our mountains through this.”
Get Cardiff news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
You must be logged in to post a comment Login