Posted: Tuesday 3 July 2018, 15:08
Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service is currently dealing with a large grassland fire on Hopewell Road, Draycott. An area of approximately 50meters x 80 meters is on fire.
A call was received from a passer-by at 14.08 hours.
Crews from Kingsway, Long Eaton, Nottingham Road, Duffield, Leicestershire’s Castle Donnington and Nottinghamshire’s Stockhill fire stations are all in attendance along with the water carrier from Loughborough.
Smoke and fire from the incident can be seen across the Draycott area.
Area Manager Bob Curry said: “Whilst this fire is in its very early stages, and the cause has yet to be ascertained, what it does underline is the need to take extra care during this period of prolonged hot, dry weather.
“We’re asking members of the public to be vigilant and to help us by taking steps to minimise the number of grass fires we are attending. The ground and vegetation is tinder dry and anything that can cause a spark can soon escalate to a fire on a large scale.
“Discarded cigarettes, outdoor barbecues and discarded glass bottles can all pose a serious threat when conditions are so dry. I’d also like to appeal to people to delay having any garden fires at the present time, as they too have the potential to spread rapidly, as tinder dry grass and overhanging trees can soon cause the fire to spread to fences, sheds and even homes.”
Since Tuesday 26 June, Derbyshire Firefighters have mobilised to 71 fires in the open, compared to the average number of fires in the open attended in the same period in June 2017 which was 19.
For more information about keeping safe outdoors visit www.derbys-fire.gov.uk