Fire crews extinguish a crop fire south of Wye

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has dealt with a crop fire south of Wye. The fire started on Saturday afternoon and ten fire engines attended the blaze between Blackwall Lane and Little Chequers, Wye. Crews extinguished the flames and prevented the fire from spreading towards the village. KFRS reported at 9pm that fire crews had completed a six-hour firefighting operation. However, crews will return in the early hours of Sunday morning, in case more damping down proves necessary. This will ensure that the fire does not reignite. KFRS received no reports of casualties, but has not yet confirmed the cause of this fire.

Cllr Noel Ovenden lives nearby at Naccolt and said "thanks to the fire crews' quick response they were soon able to contain the fire. I'm very grateful, as the whole countryside is tinder dry. We were lucky this time as the wind took the fire towards the river, not the village. Fortunately, KFRS had enough crews, engines and a water tanker available, so they were soon able to limit the damage." Yesterday the Environment Agency confirmed that Kent is in drought, and urged all of us to manage our water use carefully. Cllr Ovenden added another reason to conserve water, "firefighters rely on a network of fire hydrants for their water, but hydrants only work if there is high mains water pressure and a plentiful supply." (Image credit: C Strover).