Published by Robert L Senior Reporter
As the warmer weather makes an appearance more and more people are out and about enjoying the sunshine. With long walks across some of Lancashires great countryside, this is what many of us like to do when the weather permits us to.
However, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service are making an appeal to those who are out and about to report any wildfires they come across, wildfires can occur when there is long periods of hot, dry weather and a lack of rain make fires more likely. But hot weather alone cannot start a grass or wildfire.
Any burning spark can start a grass or wildfire, and most of these come from human activity.
A smouldering cigarette dropped onto the grass – or thrown out of a car window – is very likely to cause a grass fire in dry conditions. Make sure you extinguish cigarettes properly and throw them away when you get home.
Embers from disposable barbeques can be carried by the wind and cause fires that way. Barbeques can also retain heat after use, so never abandon a disposable barbeque. Always make sure you put it out properly and throw it away.
Generally, wildfires can travel at a rate of up to 14.27 miles per hour. However, how fast a wildfire or grassfire spreads depends on the conditions, such as the area or terrain, whether it’s on a slope, wind speed, fuel and the weather. Dr Rory Hadden, Senior Lecturer in Fire Investigation, explains, “Periods of hot dry weather result in perfect conditions for fires in vegetation to grow and spread rapidly.”
For these reasons, the Fire Service has strongly advised against using disposable barbeques during heatwaves, on balconies and on open land during heat weather alerts to help prevent grassfires and wildfires. This applies all around UK.
In a post on social media Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service said, “The sun is shining across Lancashire today so we would like to remind you that if you see a wildfire when you’re out and about, please call us on 999 (Don’t assume someone else has!)
On the call, please provide as much information as you can to the call handler this includes:
- Describing the location in as much detail as you can
- What size you think the fire is
- The terrain, and any other relevant information.
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