Firefighters 'on drips' as they battle rising field fires in Slough

A firefighter at Slough Fire Station says that the number of field fires crews are battling has ‘increased massively’ amid the scorching temperatures hitting the UK.

Crew member Paul Kurka has also issued some safety advice during a time when Berkshire is at high risk of wildfires in the countryside.

Temperatures are due to reach 33 degrees Celsius this week and the Met Office has put in place an amber warning for extreme heat until Sunday.

Fire crews are reminding people to dispose of their litter safely in the sun, with items such as glass bottles and other reflective items able to start fires.

They also urged residents to avoid using disposable barbecues in unpermitted areas of the countryside, with many being left after use and causing fires to ignite.

People should also place such items in bins or take rubbish home with them, say firefighters, while extinguishing cigarettes properly was another must.

Firefighters across Berkshire and Bucks have been tackling an increase in fires started in fields over the last few months due to the hot temperatures.

One of the main dangers from these is the ability for them to spread quickly if the wind changes direction.

And on Monday, a row of trees rapidly caught fire near railway tracks in Cherry Avenue, Slough, causing severe damage to gardens and outbuildings.

Firefighter Kurka advised people to avoid tackling field fires on their own and ensure they ring the fire service and leave the area straight away.

“The wind has been quite breezy, even on the really hot days, so never try and tackle it, just call 999 and give us the location,” he told the Express.

“Broken glass and things like that can magnify the sun’s rays and that can set fire to things.

“This year, the amount of field fires we have had has increased massively – it has been huge. Everywhere is so brittle – the grass just snaps as soon as you step on it and it spreads so quickly.”

Firefighter Kurka added that leaving reflective items in windows in the sun can also lead to fires, such as glass alcohol bottles.

The increase in heatwave related fires adds to the pressure on the fire service, which continues to battle other forms of fires at the same time.

The Slough firefighter explained the situation on the frontline in Berkshire has been ‘very hard’ with some crews having to take in water via a drip due to severe dehydration.

“Everywhere has been stretched for resources – we asked for an additional 15 fire engines at an incident the other day and the best they could give us was three,” he said. “It has been extremely hard – there have been firefighters on drips at incidents because when they drink they throw up because they are so dehydrated.”

Firefighter Kurka said that crews have also been targeting waterside spots to ‘kill two birds with one stone’ by issuing advice to people about barbecues and water safety.

People camping out in woodlands with barbecues and not disposing of them properly was another concern to fire crews, with huge swathes of land often destroyed when these areas catch fire.