Footage shows 50 feet flames rising into the sky from wildfire which engulfed a large section of a cliff above Bournemouth beach which was witnessed by horrified onlookers
Massive flames can be seen rising high into the sky as wildfire engulfed a large section of the cliff above a popular UK beach.
The inferno, which is feared to have been started deliberately, broke out at 8.39pm on Saturday night while there were still many people on Bournemouth beach and the promenade. Footage shows the flames leaping 50 feet into the air as the blaze, fanned by strong winds, quickly covered a 100 square metre area of the gorse-covered cliff in Dorset.
The fire could be seen across Poole Bay with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service receiving 60 calls to report the incident. The blaze happened on the 120 feet cliff at East Cliff in Bournemouth.
There are approximately 50 mountain goats that live and graze in that area of the cliff. Although the fire came within 50 metres of their enclosure thankfully none of them were harmed. The fire was also close to cliff-top flats and hotels although the danger did not spread to them because of the main road in between.
More than 40 firefighters attended the scene and put the fire out in two hours. One witness said: “I just don’t understand why some people want to destroy nature and, even worse, put others at risk.
“This was clearly deliberate, as it happened deep within the vegetation, in an area that’s not easily accessible, meaning someone must have intentionally gone in to set it on fire.”
Firefighters returned to the cliff this morning to dampen down any hotspots. A spokesperson for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 8.39pm last night our control room received the first of over 60 calls to reports of a fire on the undercliff near Bournemouth pier. Firefighters from Springbourne, Westbourne, Poole, Ferndown, Christchurch and Wimborne attended and dealt with a fire measuring approximately 100m x 100m.
“Firefighters used compressed air foam, main lines and safe working at height equipment to extinguish the fire. One crew from Springbourne returned to the undercliffs this morning to reinspect. They have found some hotspots and requested the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne to assist with accessing the hotspots.”
It comes after a massive fire broke out on Bournemouth beach five years ago. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that the huge inferno that raged after a beach hut went up in flames shortly at around on July 20, 2020, was caused by somebody cooking in a beach hut.
Police cordoned off part of the seafront after the blaze erupted while eight fire engines were called to help bring it under control, primarily due to the grass hillside adjacent to the beach hut also catching alight. Billowing smoke was visible for several miles as a result of the fire and residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed until the flames had been extinguished.
Shortly before 7pm, a spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that the fire was out. Writing on Facebook, they said: “The fire at West Undercliff in Bournemouth is now out, crews are still damping down but we are scaling back our attendance. The blaze started accidentally in a beach hut due to cooking. It’s now safe to open doors and windows if you’re in the local area.”