[John Mason]

March is often the worst month for big grassland and forest fires and this year, with the drying winds, especially so. Tonight I drove to Newtown to give a talk to the Mid Wales Geology Club, and just north-west of Caersws there was one hell of a forest fire ongoing. I passed two fire tenders going in the opposite direction between Caersws and Newtown, and on my return the fires were only just dying back.

I wish I'd taken the camera as on the way there the flames were obviously many tens of feet in height in places. I could see the smoke plume from the top of the Mach-Llanidloes mountain road, and once past Trefeglwys the size of the blaze was obvious. It's gonna look a hell of a mess come daybreak.

Cheers - John 

[Dave Hancox]

Strange you posting this John, I was thinking the same here today very dry dead vegetation all over time of year for moor and forest fires here. Worst possible time with lambing and birds starting to nest.

[Howard Kirby]

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2010/03/11/warning-after-100-grass-fire-call-outs/

http://www.mawwfire.gov.uk/press_media_eng/incidents.asp

 

 

[Halo]

Youths coming home from school had been setting fires to dry vegetation along the greenway last week and also there were a number of fires yesterday afternoon. We managed to put a number of the smaller fires out. Fortunately the larger fires burnt themselves out.

[PK2]

A close call for Dwygyfylchi, Conwy

Quote

BBC News
Fire crews battling against a large gorse fire close to Dwygyfylchi, Conwy, say the flames are now under control.
At its height, around 60 firefighters were tackling the blazes on the Sychnant Pass above the village.

Seems to have got within about 200m of the village. There is an earlier story on the same fire and one near Corwen.
However, I have to say that when I drove past (on the A55) about an hour ago there still looked to be a large fire in about the same place as 5 hours previously.

[Nigel Bolton]

Summer 1995 was particularly bad in the New Forest, and most fires were down to kids setting the grass alight. A whole collection of building site huts went up in one just down the hill from where I lived at the time, and others tried to set this group of massive Scots pine alight. They are still to this day the biggest Scots pines I know.

If the wind changed and these kids burnt alive it would be all wrong would it not, and the farming community and the government would have to spend billions genetically modyfying grass so that it would not burn.

N.

[Lightning Hunter]

I remember the 1995 fires well - smoke actually drifted over our house at one point! The controlled burning season is just about over in the New Forest now, with lots of black areas around this area. The exceptionally wet ground (still) means is safe enough to carry on burning, as there are still rivers of water going across roads in places.

[PK2]

Quote

PK2 - 18/3/2010 21:38

A close call for Dwygyfylchi, Conwy

Quote

BBC News
Fire crews battling against a large gorse fire close to Dwygyfylchi, Conwy, say the flames are now under control.
At its height, around 60 firefighters were tackling the blazes on the Sychnant Pass above the village.

Seems to have got within about 200m of the village. There is an earlier story on the same fire and one near Corwen.
However, I have to say that when I drove past (on the A55) about an hour ago there still looked to be a large fire in about the same place as 5 hours previously.

Still smoldering this morning when I drove past. The local newspaper (Daily Post) states that the fire got within 50ft of some homes .

[Foxy2]

March is the swaling season when moorlands and heaths are traditionally burnt so that gorse and heather do not grow too thick and tall. I guess this time of the year is good because of the dry dead vegetation produced by die back during the winter. New lush and suculent (green) growth has not yet started. Such growth is not easy to burn. Some of these fires get out of control and yes many are started deliberately by kids and no gooders!

A.

[Bazmundo]

Was just looking for fire detection data other than MODIS and found FLAMBE (about as tenuous as acronyms get..)

[PK2]

Quote

Bazmundo - 19/3/2010 13:38

Was just looking for fire detection data other than MODIS and found FLAMBE (about as tenuous as acronyms get..)

EUMETSAT do something on this too
http://oiswww.eumets...UROPE/index.htm

[OCEANSTORM]

Had a lovely walk through Menstrie Glen and up to Dumyat yesterday but was concerned to see the plumes of smoke rising from along the face of the Ochils from the top of Dumyat. Coming back down into Menstrie we saw a small fire and a group of youngsters nearby and was all ready to phone the appropiate people when we saw there were already firemen in attendance. I defintately heard one of the kids ask one of the firemen 'if he would go to jail for this'.

On speaking with one of the locals who lives a bit further along the road he said the kids had been going along the path that runs along the bottom of the face of the Ochils and setting things alight (I won't repeat his excellent idea on what should be done with the kids that caused it!!). The dead braken was very dry and there was a a steady wind blowing which really caught the flames and fanned them to heights of several feet, especially when it got hold of the gorse. We were very lucky our path wasn't blocked - we'd have had quite a long detour back to the car otherwise. There was another fire at the back of the houses in Menstrie on the side of the hill and a few people were coming out looking a bit concerned. Even though the flames were a reasonable distance away you could really hear the crackling and noise of it - quite unnerving really.

I checked the local fire station report here:

http://www.centralsc...ions/alloa.html

but it indictaes that it was controlled burning by the farmer, but find that a bit odd against what was seen and heard at the scene. It was frightening to see just how quickly it spread across the ground. As far as I'm aware the properties were fine and no-one was injured.

[HSEA]

saw a fire in the fens last summer, but it was by the roadside, so probably someone tossing out a cigarette butt out of the window rather than any 'natural' causes :)

[Dave Hancox]

That last one is stunning Jennie shows the danger and speed quite well. Fire at Loch Doon today however unkown if it was Muir Burn or not.

 

More Pics of grass fire Here

Also Scottish Goverment Muir Burn Code is available Here

[OCEANSTORM]

Thanks Dave :) A nice collection of photos there and I like the one above and the contrast with the snow in the background. I've just had a quick look at the first few pages of the Muir Burn code which is very interesting - I'll read the rest when I've got a bit more time.

[PK2]

Not a forest fire but it looks like there's a grass fire on the hill above Mochdre (nr Colwyn Bay) ATM.

[Nigel Bolton]

Just hope it rains before the schools break up, otherwise most of the UK will catch fire.

After several wet years and verdant pastures, there is a lot to burn, and much of that is now tinder dry.

N.

[PK2]

Quote

PK2 - 25/6/2010 17:15

Not a forest fire but it looks like there's a grass fire on the hill above Mochdre (nr Colwyn Bay) ATM.

here's a link to the story .

[PK2]

Another one not far from the one above.

Quote

A DRAMATIC mountain fire which sparked a hundred emergency calls destroyed more than 2,000 square metres of gorse and bracken.

Flames ripped across Cwm Mountain near Llandudno on Sunday night and four firefighters managed to get it under control using beaters by yesterday morning.

[scrapemedic]

Quote

Nigel Bolton - 25/6/2010 18:00

Just hope it rains before the schools break up, otherwise most of the UK will catch fire.

After several wet years and verdant pastures, there is a lot to burn, and much of that is now tinder dry.

N.

I was thinking the same.

I was also remembering seeing the fields around Goonhilly on fire back in 75 or 76, and thinking the fields looked in a pretty similar condition. I've noted that there has been alot of cutting back of the dry grass verges and wondered if that is some measure of reducing the risk.