Clent Hills visitors praised after stopping wild fire at beauty spot near Stourbridge
Heritage and fire service bosses have praised brave visitors who rushed to stamp out a wildfire at Clent Hills beauty spot - caused by irresponsible barbecuing.
Flames were spotted coming from woodland on the Adams Hill side of the north Worcestershire hills at around 6pm on Sunday (April 6) in an area littered with disposable barbecue items.
A quick-thinking visitor dialled 999, as a passing cyclist and hiker leapt into action to stamp out the fire and try to stop it from spreading.
Visiting cyclist Jamie Gardiner, aged 53, said: "At first I thought what idiots have done this? Then my thought was - this is pretty big. Can I do something about it?
"I’m happy we managed to get it under control when we did. Otherwise I reckon it wouldn’t have been the same outcome.”
The National Trust has since thanked the brave beauty spot visitors for their efforts in staving off a larger incident and issued a warning to members of the public not to use disposable barbecues in open spaces or light fires in the countryside.
George Kirkham, conservation manager for the charity, said: “We’re very grateful to the members of the public who raised the alarm and helped to contain the fire between Clent Hills and Adams Hill on Sunday evening. Without their quick action the damage to vegetation and wildlife could have escalated quickly.
"We’d also like to thank the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service who attended and ensured the area was safe. We would like to remind anyone visiting Clent or any countryside area that we can all play a part in preventing wildfires by not using barbeques, lighting fires or using naked flames and taking litter home with you.
"Many areas of land are dry and all it takes is a single spark from a barbecue or a dropped cigarette to cause a serious fire.
“Fires like these undermine our work to care for nature and respond to the climate emergency, which are priorities for the National Trust.
“It is also vital that we respond quickly to any fires which might occur in the countryside. If you see fire anywhere, including in the outdoors please call 999 and report it immediately.”
A fire crew from Bromsgrove arrived at around 6.30pm.
A Hereford and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “A fire involving a scrub area around 388 sq ft had been extinguished before the arrival of the fire service who dampened down the area using back packs.
"The incident was marked as pending closure at 7.11pm.
“In this current spell of dry weather, which is forecast to continue throughout the week, we would urge people to be extra careful when they are out and about to help prevent countryside fires.”
The incident happened just two days after a large grass fire at Gentleshaw Common, Staffordshire, which was deemed to have been started deliberately on Friday evening (April 4).