Just over 70 firefighters and officers from around the county worked tirelessly for 7 hours yesterday tackling a severe fire on the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve.
Specialist vehicles recently purchased by the service for this very occurrence with 4 wheel drive capability proved a fantastic asset in supporting the firefighters as they moved water and equipment around. Due to the severity of the fire and the size of the area that has burnt, firefighters remained at the scene throughout the night. Once darkness fell and the flames were extinguished – due to safety the incident was scaled down to just 2 fire appliances who continued a watching brief of the site until first light. Crews are currently carrying out a re-inspection and continuing to work towards bringing the incident to a successful conclusion.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to thank all staff involved in this incident especially the efforts of the firefighters actions prevented further damage to this popular and scenic area of countryside.
We would also like to offer thanks to the landlords from the Stiperstones Inn who provided our firefighters with fruit juice and water throughout the incident.
The cause of the fire is not thought to be suspicious and the recent spell of hot weather is likely to have been a contributory factor.
