Fire service declares major incident over call-outs

Smoke has been seen billowing across Norwich in the latest of a series of blazes that forced the county's fire service to declare a major incident.

Crews from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 16 emergencies on Thursday afternoon, including a fire at Mousehold Heath, off Gurney Road in the city, which at 19:10 BST was "well under control".

The major incident kicked in at 15:15 as firefighters also tackled a blaze at a school in Shipdham, near Dereham.

The incident was stood down at 20:15 when the fire service said its resources were in a "more stable position".

Norfolk Police closed off Mousehold Lane and Gurney Road in Norwich to allow fire crews to deal with the heath fire and drivers were asked to avoid the area.

Norfolk Fire Service said on Thursday evening: "This fire is now surrounded and well under control.

"We are damping down and checking for hotspots and will remain on scene at least throughout the evening.

"Please continue to stay clear of the area to allow us to work and ensure the safety of everyone."

David Woodrow, 90, lives next to the heath and said he had never seen a fire so close to his home.

"I've always been fearful of the trees in my garden, which is adjacent to Mousehold and I've worried this summer, if anything happened, how close would they [flames] would come to me," he said.

"I try not to get too upset about it because the fire brigade are there and will deal with it - we hope."

Ten crews were involved in putting out the blaze at the Thomas Bullock Primary Academy in Shipdham, where three classrooms were damaged.

No children were thought to be at the site, which was shut for the summer holidays.

The fire service advised residents nearby to keep doors and windows shut if they were affected by a smoke plume from the fire.

The cause was later found to be accidental.

Four crews were also involved in tackling a large fire in the open at Holgate Hill in Kelling, near Sheringham, at about 12:45 on Thursday.

The fire was brought under control after about two hours, but the service said they expected to be damping down well into the evening.

Speaking at the time it declared the major incident, the fire service explained that current operational activity across Norfolk was placing "significant pressure on our resources".

It continued: "Response times to non-life risk incidents may be delayed as we prioritise our limited remaining available resources."

The service urged the public to help it protect the county by not lighting bonfires, campfires, or using disposable barbecues, and to refrain from discarding rubbish or cigarettes.

"All of these actions increase the risk of fires in the open as we have seen in recent weeks," the fire service said.

In July, the fire service said it mobilised crews 2,730 times to attend 1,270 emergencies across the county, including to act as "standby" at other fire stations to ensure cover was maintained and to provide rolling cover at larger incidents.

"This was 768 more times [crews were mobilised] than in July 2025," the service added.

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