Hampshire firefighters rescue chicks from Longmoor blaze which saw 16 hectares of land destroyed

Crews from across the county were called to a ‘large incident’ near Longmoor Army Camp in Bordon on Friday, June 16, which saw large swathes of land burn throughout the weekend. As part of their efforts to tackle help in the disaster, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue personnel saved seven baby birds from a nest in the area.

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Posting on social media, a spokesperson from Hartley Wintney Fire Station said: ‘Mum fled the nest, but we were able to save these seven lucky guys. Thank you to the amazing Hart Wildlife Rescue for taking them in at midnight and giving them the best chance of survival.’

The chicks are thought to be pheasants. Over the weekend, the smell of smoke stretched south west from Longmoor and over the Meon Valley, and could be detected in Waterlooville, Swanmore, Wickham and north Fareham.

A Hampshire sire service spokesperson added: ‘On Friday 16 June, a fire broke out near Longmoor Amy Camp, affecting an area of 16 hectares consisting of woodland and scrubland. Multiple crews from across the county, along with assistance from Surrey Fire and Rescue, responded to the incident. Initially, four hose reel jets and four land rovers were utilised to combat the fire.

‘The primary objective was to confine the fire within a designated area and prevent its escalation, minimising environmental damage.

‘Throughout the weekend, as the fire continued to develop, various relief strategies were implemented to maintain the capacity of the firefighting teams. Due to heavy smoke from the incident, various air quality advisories were sent out to make locals aware as the fire progressed. By Sunday morning, the fire had been successfully contained within the intended footprint, resulting in only localised smoke plumes.

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‘Consequently, the incident was scaled down, with a few crews remaining on-site to monitor hotspots and prevent any further spread of the fire. On Sunday evening the incident was further downscaled to only one engine and two land rovers, ensuring ongoing monitoring and preventing any potential escalation

‘After conducting a watching brief overnight crews continued to extinguish the remainder of the fire ahead of a further scaling down of resources at the incident’