Firefighters remain at scene of extinguished fire after residents evacuated
Firefighters are still monitoring the scene of an extinguished wildfire on Lickey Hills which forced more than a dozen people to be evacuated from their homes.
Twelve crews from Hereford and Worcester, West Midlands and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the blaze on Monday afternoon at 1.15pm.
The blaze initially covered around 400 square metres but this eventually increased to around 50,000sqm as firefighters battled to stop it from spreading.
It was located in an area bordered to the south by Rose Hill, to the west by Eachway Lane and to the north and east by the B4120 and Leach Green Lane.
Firefighting was hampered by the heat, humidity and the terrain whilst the fire was fanned by a southerly wind. It led to 15 people, including four children, being evacuated from three properties off Eachway Lane.
Now chiefs have confirmed the fire is "effectively now out" but a number of crews remain in place to dampen it down, with officers likely to be on the scene for up to another 24 hours as of Tuesday morning.
It remains a live operation but residents who were evacuated were able to return to their homes the same evening, a spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed.
