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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Lydia Stephens

Major fire tears across mountain close to people's homes

A major grass fire tore through a mountain in the Rhondda, close to people's homes.

Residents in the area reported seeing smoke and flames from the mountainside in Porth and Trebanog at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Officers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service could be seen managing the flames.

One person in the area at the time said the wind was blowing the fire up the valley away from houses, and was "spreading very quickly with a huge cloud of smoke", by 5.30pm.

Read more: Thousands march through the streets of Swansea in support of Welsh independence

Later in the evening, as the fire made its way up the mountain, it started to approach homes on the Rhiwgarn estate in Trebanog. One local resident said: "The fire was contained by around 10pm last night by South Wales Fire and Rescue. They did a good job stopping it spreading towards housing although didn't have the resources to put it out, just to redirect its spread path."

On Sunday morning, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service released a statement regarding grass fires. The statement said: "Grass fires kill wildlife and endanger the lives and property of our communities and crews. It may take the service longer to respond to life risk emergencies like house fires or road traffic collisions if we are already tackling a deliberate grass fire. If you see a fire or anyone starting a fire, please call immediately."

This isn't the first time this mountain has been set alight. Dramatic footage taken in 2020 shows the grass fire stretching across the Trebanog mountainside.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service control room said they received a call relating to the fire at 3.03pm. Crews from Caerphilly, Ferndale, Whitchurch, Pontyclun, and Gilfach Goch were all sent to the area. A stop message was received at 9.35pm.

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