Warning after sparks from BBQ believed to have started fire in Cannock

A warning has been put out by firefighters in Staffordshire around starting fires after a blaze was tackled in Cannock.

Firefighters from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue tackled the blaze on Shoal Hill Common just after 6am, with two appliances seen at the scene.

The fire was determined to have been put out by 8am, with further dampening down being done later on in the morning.

The fire service has said the cause could have been either sparks from a BBQ or a fire that was not properly put out and has asked people to be more careful around wooded areas.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services were called to Shoal Hill Common off Cocksparrow Lane, Cannock this morning shortly after 6am.

“Reports stated that smoke had been seen and two appliances plus a Fire Command Waggon.

“The location was the nature park where there is a lake and it is believed either sparks from one of the fires/ BBQs started nearby, or one of the fires had not been put out properly.

“Fires can appear to be out but they can travel underground, in a gap created by dry conditions between the grass and the dirt.

“It is fifty years since the "Hot Summer" of 1976 and parallels cannot be ignored between these fires and those on Cannock Chase that pushed the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service beyond its breaking point, yet the teams managed to deal with the fires, with the aid of volunteers across the county.

“The response teams this morning numbered around ten at 8am after the fires had been put out.

“Additional teams for the damping down arrived at 8.45am.”