Major heath blaze at Holt Heath brought under control

A wildfire in Dorset that spread rapidly due to windy conditions and led to 20 homes being evacuated has been brought under control.

The blaze at Holt Heath, near Wimborne, broke out on Saturday at about 11:10 BST, with about 100 firefighters sent to tackle the fast-moving fire.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews had worked extremely hard to bring it under control and had saved one property from the fire.

The fire service declared a major incident due to the size of the fire and the number of crews at a heath and forest fire at Newton Heath, that has been burning since last Sunday.

The fire service said seven fire engines, three off road appliances and water carriers from stations in Dorset and Hampshire remain at the scene in Holt Heath.

It said The National Trust was also helping fire crews to create fire breaks.

Firefighters from stations in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Devon and Somerset were called in to help the Dorset crews at the height of the blaze.

Assistant chief fire officer Darren Langdown said: “We are extremely grateful to our neighbouring services for the support they are giving us and I can only praise all of our staff who are working so hard in extremely arduous conditions.”

Several roads in Holt village remain closed, including Holt Road and Horton Road along with Harts Lane to Amble Mead and Lower Row.

People are being urged to say away from the area.

The fire at Newton Heath, between Corfe Castle and Swanage, has destroyed an area about the size of 35 football pitches since it broke out last Sunday.

While the fire at Newton Heath is believed to have been started deliberately, the cause of the fire at Holt Heath is currently unknown.