Fire crews hailed for 'huge effort' as blazes soar

Firefighters in South Yorkshire tackled nearly 800 incidents during last week's heatwave - a rise of more than 60% on the same week last year.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (SYFRS) said it handled 4,400 calls and attended 770 incidents between Monday and Friday.

The incidents included a large moorland blaze near Grimethorpe Nature Reserve and a field fire in the Parkwood Springs area of Sheffield, as well as a wildfire off Mortimer Road to the north of the city.

The fire service said: "Massive respect to everyone on duty over the last week. A huge effort by everyone."

SYFRS warned last Wednesday: "It's official. This is one of the driest summers there has ever been.

"And we're feeling it. Firefighters and control staff are continuing to work in incredibly challenging conditions."

One of the blazes destroyed a large amount of wildflower meadow at Manor Fields near Sheffield Manor Lodge - a community project by charity Green Estate, originally designed by horticulturalist Nigel Dunnett who died in April.

Green Estate said it was planning a "community clean-up day" to help repair the damage on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Humberhead Peatlands nature reserve near Doncaster closed to the public last week because of the high risk of wildfire.

SYFRS said the fire risk remained "higher than normal" despite overnight rain, advising people to report deliberate fires, avoid barbecues and garden bonfires, and take rubbish home when visiting the countryside.

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