Essex Fire tackle wildfires in Heybridge woodland

Essex Fire spent yesterday afternoon and evening tackling wildfires in Heybridge Woods View.

On arrival, firefighters requested the help of three additional crews, a second crew from Maldon and crew each from Witham and South Woodham Ferrers, as well as an off-road vehicle from Burnham to help deal with developing wildfires.

The fires were covering approximately two hectares of woodland and shrubland and were in two separate areas and crews worked together to tackle both fires.

With difficult access and water supplies, crews set up a water relay to help extinguish the fires.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by 7.17pm and remained at the scene to monitor hotspots until 9.19pm.

Station Manager Terry Maher had high praise for the team, particularly due to the ongoing heatwave in the UK.

He said: "Crews worked extremely hard in very hot and dry conditions to extinguish the two separate fires and prevent them from spreading further."

The fire service in Burnham, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, and Witham are also looking to recruit more on-call firefighters.

Find out more about the role and how to apply at join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call.