A large fire that ravaged important reedbeds looked after by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is no longer burning but concern remains about its consequences for wildlife.
Fire crews and six engines from Cheshire and Merseyside fire and rescue services tackled the blaze on marshland near Parkgate on the Wirral peninsula, after being called out at about 6.20pm on Saturday evening.
A fire investigator was at the scene and police were told that the fire was suspected to have been started deliberately.
The RSPB said the full extent of the damage to the reserve – home to birds including bearded tits, Cetti’s warblers and bittern – was still being assessed. Marsh harriers were also beginning to build their nests on land now lost to fire.
The blaze, driven by wind, extended to more than 1 sq km of marshland on a site of special scientific interest.
Carl Nevitt, a station manager for Cheshire fire and rescue services, was in charge of the response to the incident. He said: “We created fire breaks to protect properties and the police air support unit was used to give us information on the directional spread of the blaze.
“We were at the scene for some 15 hours, leaving just before 10am this morning having monitored the area overnight after the flames were extinguished.”
Unstable ground meant fire crews had to leave the fire to burn itself out. Drone footage taken on Sunday morning revealed a large swathe of marshland had burned, leading to concern about the consequences for wildlife and habitats.
The RSPB said it was “shocked and saddened” by the fire which it said had “devastated” the Neston reedbed, part of its Burton Mere Wetlands reserve.
The charity said the full extent of the damage was being assessed and it would share further details once more information emerges.
A spokesperson added: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the emergency services for all they’ve done so far in helping to tackle and investigate the fire.”
Cheshire constabulary appealed to the public for information and said they were particularly keen to talk to a group of teenagers seen in the area at 6.20pm.
The three boys and a girl are described as being aged between 14 and 15. The girl had long dark hair and was wearing a dark jacket. The two boys were wearing dark jackets and the third teenager was wearing a light blue jacket and trousers.
The fire could be seen for miles around, and dramatic images and video were shared on social media.
One Twitter user described the fire as a “dreadful sight”. Another wrote: “This is terrible and a disaster for wildlife at the start of the breeding season.”
