Kinver Edge woodland blaze tackled prompting safety plea
A fire ripped through a woodland at a Midland beauty spot prompting concerns over safety.
Fire service chiefs fear the blaze at Kinver Edge, near Stourbridge, may have been started deliberately.
Firefighters fought for more than four hours yesterday to extinguish flames which engulfed the woodland near Nanny's Rock, Sandy Lane, outside Kinver.
They were called to the beauty spot, which is managed by the National Trust, at around 5.30pm.
They found an area of bracken and woodland alight measuring around 320ft by 320ft.
Staffordshire Fire Service have attended more than 100 calls to fires in the open since March 1.
And officials believe the majority of these have been started deliberately.
They say this latest fire put a 'drain on resources' prompting them to issue a safety warning.
The cause is not known but is suspected to have been started 'either accidentally by careless disposal of smoking materials or deliberately'.
Tim Hollingworth, a station manager at Staffordshire Fire Service, said crews worked with National Trust rangers using their knowledge of the site to help tackle the fire.
He said further inspections of the site took place today to ensure the fire didn't reignite.
National Trust rangers will continue to patrol over the weekend.
Mr Hollingworth added: "Starting fires like this is incredibly dangerous; it puts lives at risk and causes devastation to local wildlife and ecosystems.
"This site in particular presented firefighters with some very challenging terrain, with very steep slopes and dense woodland.
"Our crews are being called to these incidents far too often.
"They put their lives on the line and these fires tie them up for long periods of time so they can't attend other incidents.
"We'd urge parents to warn their children about the dangers of starting fires and the devastating consequences they can have – they could easily kill someone, face a hefty fine or even imprisonment.
"The message is simple, flames aren't games."
Fire engines attended from Kinver, Wombourne, Codsall, Cannock and Stourbridge stations attended.
A water carrying vehicle from Cheadle station also went to the scene.
Crew remained at the scene until 10pm.
