Wildfires and our heathland

Yateley Common

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the band “Stereophonics”, but one line from their song “It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches, only takes one match to burn a thousand trees” resonated with me as we saw roads closed and residents evacuated for safety as over 60 firefighters tackled a ferocious wildfire blaze on Yateley Common on 14th July.

Wildfire can spread faster than an Olympic sprinter and leaves both the wildlife and the habitat of our precious heathland decimated. With the long period of dry weather and extreme temperatures, the risk due to the dry gorse, heather and grasses is even greater than in previous years, with the official daily Fire Severity Index issued by the Met Office reaching level 5 (Exceptional) for the past weeks.

The Thames Basin Heaths are a unique natural resource, right here on our doorstep, but even more at risk than the Rainforests of the Amazon. Most wildfires, however, are preventable; caused by a stray cigarette butt or even a discarded glass/plastic bottle magnifying the sun’s ray. Some misguided individuals encouraged, no doubt, by the warm weather, even consider it safe to have a BBQ or camp-fire. Within just a few minutes, a wildfire can spread at an alarming rate.

If you are out and about and see an unattended fire, please report it straight away (999 Fire and Rescue Service), don’t assume someone else already has.

I’ll leave you with some images from Yateley Common, showing the devastation wildfires can cause. For further information, please see the wildfire page on this website.

Mike
Eversley & Bramshill Parish Council

#BeWildfireAware