Holiday park evacuated as 90 firefighters tackle Suffolk heath wildfire
Major incident declared, Sizewell B power station closely monitoring blaze and RSPB nature reserve closed to visitors
People staying in a holiday park with about 200 caravans on the Suffolk coast have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out, causing the nearby Sizewell B nuclear power station to closely monitor its movement.
A major incident was declared as firefighters battled the large heathland fire at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, which is about 3 miles from Sizewell B.
The wildfire came the day after half of England was declared to be officially in drought, including East Anglia and six other areas. On Thursday, Natural Resources Wales declared a drought across the whole of Wales, with the country on course for its driest July since records began nearly 200 years ago.
Suffolk fire and rescue service was called to reports of a fire shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday, and crews remained at the scene on Thursday. About 90 firefighters were tackling the blaze.
Firefighters have said there is not thought to be any danger to Sizewell B, and an EDF spokesperson said the wildfire was not affecting operations at the power station. It is understood Sizewell B has an emergency plan in place that covers a range of scenarios including a fire on site.
People have been urged to avoid the area where possible and keep windows and doors closed.
Andy Burnham promised support to firefighters on Thursday. Speaking to Press Association reporters during a visit to Cumbria, the prime minister said: “We’ve got the situation under close monitoring, and I’m receiving regular updates. It is a very serious incident.
“I will make sure that Suffolk fire and rescue service have all of the support, the mutual aid, the other services that they need, and any other resources that need to be brought to bear.”
In an update on Thursday, the incident commander Christopher May said crews would continue to fight the fire for the next 24 to 48 hours because of the size and complexity of the incident.
The fire service said earlier in the day: “At this time there is no current risk to Sizewell B, due to the distance from the fire and the direction it is travelling (easterly). However, this is a live and dynamic situation and as a result any further updates will be shared accordingly.”
Suffolk county council said the fire covered about 100 hectares (247 acres) and 18 fire engines were at the scene as of Thursday afternoon. The council said Cliff House holiday park had been evacuated as a precaution.
A number of media reports said Sizewell B was on “high alert” but EDF’s media office said this was not the case.
Fire crews have been focused on protecting nearby properties. Dan Davis, a station manager, said earlier: “Crews from Leiston attended the scene and were met with what is a large-scale, wind-driven forestry fire.
“The incident has subsequently been upgraded to a major incident. We currently have approximately 90 firefighters on scene working incredibly hard in arduous conditions to bring this fire under control.”
The blaze has spread to parts of RSPB Minsmere nature reserve. Adam Rowlands, an RSPB area manager, said the scale of the blaze was “unprecedented in living memory” and the damage was “quite devastating”.
He said: “It’s been tinder dry, so with the drought conditions all the vegetation, the ground, is extremely dry, and so once this fire took off it spread dramatically and quickly.
“We’re very grateful for the efforts and support of the fire service and other partners working at the scene. RSPB Minsmere will remain closed to visitors until further notice.”
Specialist drones were used overnight to assess the fire’s behaviour and help with operational decision-making, while crews deployed multipurpose all-wheel-drive Unimogs and 4x4 quad bikes.
Dr Zakary Campbell-Lochrie, a lecturer in fire science at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This wildfire is occurring at the same time as drought conditions have officially been declared in large parts of England, including Suffolk. The hot, dry weather conditions, including the multiple heatwave events across much of the UK in recent weeks, lead to strong drying conditions for vegetation, which can subsequently be highly susceptible to ignition and can present a much greater danger when fires do occur.”
The climate crisis, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is making every heatwave more intense and more likely. On Thursday, the UK Health Security Agency said England was on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths this summer.
In Scotland, crews said they were making significant progress in tackling a wildfire in the Cairngorms that broke out two weeks ago.
Press Association contributed to this report