Firefighters are continuing to battle a wildfire the size of five football pitches at a nature reserve near Newcastle Airport.
A fire at Prestwick Carr Nature Reserve has been burning since Wednesday afternoon, with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service receiving a call at 1.19pm on June 14. At its height, 56 firefighters, two drone pilots, three fire officers, 10 appliances and a High Volume Pump (HVP) were on the scene attempting to bring the blaze under control in blistering heat.
Across the region, residents have reported the smell of smoke in Gosforth and even as far away as Howdon, while ash fell on nearby Ponteland on Wednesday night. The nature reserve, which is split between the Ministry of Defence and Northumberland Wildlife Trust, is a large, low-lying wetland area which attracts various wading birds and songbirds such as pipit and skylark.
Read more: Newcastle wildfire LIVE: Updates as firefighters remain at scene tackling large blaze in Prestwick
Part of the site has a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is a relic of lowland raised mire, which is one of the rarest habitats in the world and one of only a handful left in the UK. Northumberland Wildlife Trust confirmed that peat can reignite, and it will have to be monitored.
The fire had started in a densely wooded area which is difficult to reach by vehicle, leaving firefighters having to walk to tackle it. They remained at the scene throughout the night but scaled back their efforts for firefighter safety due to the poor visibility and light in the area.
Paul Russell, area manger of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "This is a large wildfire very similar to what we saw last year during the prolonged period of warm weather in August.
"This is a difficult response due to the location of the fire, and the weather but our firefighters have been working tirelessly through the night to keep the fire under control. Today we will be stepping up our efforts again to get this fire extinguished and preserve as much of the nature reserve as we can.
"The drone footage we are releasing shows the scale of the damage this fire has caused, and the nature of what we have been faced with since that first emergency call. I want to take this opportunity to thank our Fire Control staff, the firefighters and every member of support staff who assisted our response.
"We are really proud of how hard they are working and we hope that the public are reassured that our staff will be there through thick and thin to keep communities safe. As you may have seen overnight and this morning, the smoke is still lingering across the city and it has a strong smell of fire.
"We would ask that you keep your window and door closed if you live close by and if you are having breathing difficulties please call 111 or speak to your GP. I also want to thank our partner agencies for the support they have shown and the public in the area who were disrupted by the incident and have been patient with us during our response."
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We are aware of a fire at Carr Plantation, which started yesterday afternoon. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service have been in attendance.
"The cause of the fire is not yet known, but no military training was taking place at the time, and an investigation is underway to identify the cause."
Emergency services will remain in the area today to carry out further enquiries into the circumstances around the fire with a joint investigation underway between TWFRS and Northumbria Police.
Read next
