'I saw ash swirling over our street' - Residents speak out after Netherton Park blaze

“This latest fire came almost on the fourth anniversary of the last one,” residents living near Netherton Park in Dudley said.

Among the grass fires was an incident at the community park bordering Lynbrook Close and Greaves Road in Netherton on Monday afternoon.

Householder Donna Collins, aged 61, of Greaves Road, a receptionist, explains that there was a similar blaze opposite her home in 2022.

“This time I could hear crackling sounds which at first I thought was coming from somebody’s garden, but then I thought it sounded too loud. I went out to the front down to the park barriers and saw the grass alight. By that time it had took hold. We phoned 999, but it took a while for the fire brigade to arrive. Another neighbour also phoned and were told that a number of people had reported it.

“The crews were here for about two hours. When they came they went to the Lynbrook gate to the park which is always locked. They had to smash it open.

“By the time they got inside the park the flames had spread quickly. I looked up and there was ashes swirling across the road to our house. It was a bit worrying. This latest fire came almost on the fourth anniversary of the last one which happened on July 18, 2022. It popped up on my Facebook memories feed.”

A mother living next to the parkland bordering Greaves Road and Lynbrook Close in Netherton took to using a bottle of water to dampen a small slightly smoking shrub spotted next her home once the fire service had departed.

The woman, who did not want to be named, says she was not at home at the time of the fire and friends in the community had phoned to tell her about it.

“The smoke seeped into the house. Our kitchen smells of burning. The flames caught the park fence a the back. It’s a bit worrying because the grass is really dry. I’ve been painting our shed. I’m glad the fire didn’t spread any further,” she adds.

Around 30 firefighters based at Haden Cross, Dudley, Brierley Hill, Tipton and West Bromwich attended the incident just after 5pm.

The region’s fire service have been under with calls to tackle fires in the open.

Other grass fires have included at Weddell Wynd in Bradley on the Moxley-Bilson border; Heather Close, Rugeley; Friar Park Road, Wednesbury; Shoal Hill Common Fire, Cannock; and Adbaston Lane, Stafford.

West Midlands Fire Service says park visitors should not use barbecues, should take glass home and must not put out cigarettes in outdoor spaces.