'Stop having bonfires!' - Shropshire firefighters plea to residents as dry spell continues
Residents are being urged to stop lighting outdoor fires as Shropshire's firefighters continue to battle blazes sparked by out-of-control bonfires.
The seemingly unending spell of dry weather has seen a number of major fires break out across Shropshire in recent weeks - including a crop field wildfire battled by crews from three counties in Claverley and another involving 300 square metres of trees and undergrowth on the Wrekin.
In between the headline-making incidents, the firefighters are being called to back gardens and private land around the county - often several times a day - due to bonfires getting out of control.
On Monday, fire crews were called to three separate incidents in under two hours in Shrewsbury, Bishops Castle and Market Drayton, involving out of control bonfires.
The spate of incidents came just days after an unattended bonfire set fire to almost half a kilometre of grass near a garden centre near Market Drayton.
With last week serving up the fourth heatwave of the summer - after only 2mm of rainfall overall in the week ending August 12 - a Shropshire firefighter is pleading with the public to stop starting fires.
Shropshire Wildfire Support Officer, Craig Jackson, said it was a particularly busy period for the service: "It's mostly bonfires, campfires and people purposely setting fire to vegetation.
"With the dry weather we're having, the hot embers get picked up by wind and taken to dry ground where it catches, and very quickly becomes out of control.
"While we're sending fire appliances to tackle out-of-control bonfires, it reduces the number of appliances we have in-county."
Previously, the fire service has issued advice for those wanting to safely carry out controlled burns, such as notifying fire control and having water nearby.
"I'm saying don't have bonfires," said Craig. "We're going to call outs where people have been prepared with a hosepipe - and even then it's spreading too quickly.
"We ask that people who are considering burning garden waste take that waste to a local recycling centre."
With forecasters predicting a dry bank holiday weekend, Craig is also warning people to think twice about a bank holiday barbecue.
He said: "We were recently called to Church Stretton, where we found four disposable BBQs right next to a National Trust no BBQ sign.
"With more dry and warm weather on the way, don't go to a country park and have a barbecue or a bonfire, and be careful about where you're throwing cigarettes and glass bottles."
