Fire in military training zone spreads to farmland
Webshots photographyA fire on a military training ground - which had to be left to burn out on its own because the areamay contain unexploded devices - spread to nearby farmland.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said it was called to a fire involving farmland "adjacent" to the initial fire on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, at about 12:04 BST on Friday.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the fire service could not attend the original fire which started on Wednesday on military land and "burned itself out" by Saturday afternoon due to its location in the Range Danger Area.
However, the flames later spread to farmland, with crews attending from "Amesbury, Salisbury, Ludgershall and Devizes".
DWFRS told the BBC the fire within the military "impact zone" was "still alight", while the crews, supported by a water carrier from Andover, tackled the flames on the neighbouring farmland.
"Relief crews were later mobilised from Melksham and Chippenham, with Wilton's water carrier, with all away from the scene by 21:00 BST," a spokesperson said.
"Small 4x4 appliances attended from Cranborne and Ludgershall on Saturday morning to deal with any remaining hotspots," they added.
Why must military zone fires burn out on their own?
The original fire was located in a Range Danger Area or Impact Zone in the heart of the Salisbury Plain training zone.
These areas contain a number of hazards and are not safe for civilians to enter.
Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) - an operating arm of the MoD - said all firing into the affected area was stopped as soon as the blaze was discovered.
"Military fires on the training estate are not caused deliberately and usually start, and are contained, in the Range Danger Area.
"These areas are largely constructed with the potential for fires in mind and include stone tracks which act as a fire break to prevent the transfer of a fire onto the wider estate," a DIO spokesperson said.
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