Arson Reduction Teams to patrol Gower following large grass fires

Arson Reduction Teams will be patrolling Gower following a number of large grass fires in the area.

The Arson Reduction Team from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service released a statement on Facebook today.

"We have attended a number of large grass fires on the Gower over the last few days (40 hectares) requiring several fire appliances for long periods," the team said.

"At this point we don't know who is responsible and whether they have been criminal or part of a land management practice."

The team said that, whilst they acknowledge that this is the right time of year to carry out controlled burning to minimise environmental impact, the fires were too large and uncontrolled, causing significant smoke issues and concerns to nearby residents.

One Gower resident spotted the fire service attending to a large fire on Fairwood Common yesterday.

"The high winds and terrain make these fires difficult for the firefighters to deal with and the time taken to tackle them mean that we could be delayed in responding to other emergencies," the team wrote.

"Don't forget that we want to work with land managers to carry out burning safely and responsibly and we can provide support and advice on how to do that via our Farm Liaison Officer services."

Arson Reduction Teams will be patrolling the areas over the coming weeks.

Operation Dawns Glaw was launched in 2016 as a multi-agency task force to tackle deliberate grass and wild fires in Wales.

Those who require advice or have any information concerning illegal burning are advised to contact The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Arson Reduction Team on 0370 606 0699 or at [email protected].

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