Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is urging caution following increases in wildfires across the county.
Last Summer, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called out to 384 outdoor fires across the county. This June alone, crews responded to 153.
With these incidents affecting dozens of homes and destroying hundreds of acres of countryside and wildlife habitats across Lincolnshire, it is vitally important to follow simple, common-sense fire safety advice.
Most recently, crews from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called to Beech Wood on Fenside Road to reports of a wildfire throughout an area of woodland.
Amanda Matson, head of community fire prevention at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Lincolnshire’s suffered from some extremely dry conditions caused by several heatwaves this year, which has seen a sharp spike in outdoor fires we’ve attended.
“There’s been a period of rain but we’re due another heatwave, meaning the ground will quickly dry up again. And, when it does, the grass almost acts like a tinderbox – any heat source can cause fires that are more likely to get out of control and spread rapidly.
“Recently, we’ve seen large wildfires in other parts of the country, like at Dorset Heath, Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, and internationally in Spain and Portugal.
“These fires don’t start big. But the dry conditions mean they grow into large scale incidents – often taking days to extinguish – extremely quickly.
“Most outdoor fires are caused accidentally, and that’s why it’s so important to avoid taking risks with fire.
“That means, not using disposable barbecues, making sure cigarettes are fully extinguished and properly disposed of, and not lighting bonfires to dispose of waste – take it to your local household waste recycling centre instead.”
