For immediate release – Thursday 26^th July, 2018

Llangollen wildfire continues to tie up valuable resources

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service continues to impress upon communities the importance of being extra careful and to stop and consider the consequences of grass fires during the current heatwave.

Crews remain at a gorse fire in Llantysilio in Llangollen after having first being called to the scene over a week ago - demonstrating just how much of a drain on resources these fires can be.

Firefighters have been continually present at the scene of this fire ensuring it is brought under control and kept under close surveillance - and once again this afternoon the fire has gathered pace in prevailing winds with seven appliances in attendance tackling an extensive fire front.

With part time or retained firefighter resources being used to tackle this incident this means that local employers are also affected as staff are released to attend the fire.

Kevin Roberts, Senior Fire Safety Manager, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said:

“Fires like this one in Llantysilio, where access is extremely difficult and water supply is limited, place tremendous pressure on our resources. Our firefighters have been tied up for a considerable length of time working to bring it under control.

“It’s still too soon to determine the exact cause of this fire but we continue to strongly urge people to take extra care when they are out and about in the countryside to help reduce the risk of such fires – especially in such unprecedented dry weather.

“In these dry conditions, fires involving grass, bracken and heather can develop extremely quickly, especially in raised winds, and can soon get out of control and spread to neighbouring properties or forestry, with the need for us then to attend to extinguish them.

“So if you are out and about, it is more important than ever in these conditions to make sure that any smoking materials are discarded and extinguished properly. If you are camping, again make sure that campfires or barbeques are fully extinguished. Better still, avoid open fires altogether in this dry period.

“We would like to thank the public for acting in a safe and responsible manner by notifying us of such fires - we ask people to keep well away from the area affected to allow firefighters to continue to deal with the incident, and for their own safety.

“And we would also like to thank our firefighters who are working in challenging conditions, their employers for releasing the from work, and our partners such as Denbighshire County Council for their assistance.

“Remember - setting fires is a criminal offence and we are actively working alongside North Wales Police to combat deliberate incidents – those found to be responsible will be prosecuted.

“Anyone with information on such crimes is advised to anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”