Cambridgeshire fire service warning to families as crews left 'extremely stretched'
Crews have dealt with more than 120 incidents in the last 10 days
Families are being encouraged by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) to make sure their children act responsibly after it says the last 10 days has "pushed firefighters to their limits".
Since July 24, crews have been called to more than 120 incidents, higher than its three-year average of 94, as the dry weather continues.
More than half of these incidents were fires in the open, while eat fires have caused a significant issue for crews across several days, the service said.
"At the moment, we are in an extremely stretched period," Group Commander James Ball, from CFRS, said.
"We'll always have to find ways to adapt (to pressure); we're proving that we do that and will continue to do that within those pressures, so it's reiterating there is no public safety risk and hasn't been."
Crews responded to around 20 incidents in a matter of hours on July 25, including a house fire in Peterborough, a fire in a field in March and field fires in Peakirk and Chatteris.
The next day, around 50 firefighters were called to a field fire near Aliwal Road, Whittlesey which almost spread to nearby homes.
Cambridgeshire Police said an investigation into a suspected arson at the Whittlesey fire is ongoing.
While more than 40 firefighters were called to a fire in Holme Fen near Peterborough on July 27.
Mr Ball said CFRS is talking to farmers around how they can stay safe from the risk of fire.
“One of our biggest risks during these spells of hot weather is fires on rural farmland," he said.
"This is because of a number of factors, such as fire spreading quickly across dry land and securing an adequate water supply, as well as finding and accessing the correct location of the incident.
"We'll talk to our colleagues in farming around security; this time of year, we'll always be encouraging families to talk to their children and making sure they're playing safely and not starting fires in any areas where it can spread."
CFRS is advising farmers to follow safety steps such as making sure all escape routes are clear and free from rubbish, keeping their farm clearly signposted and having an evacuation plan for livestock in the event of a fire.
Other safety tips
If you are planning to have a barbecue:
- Use barbeques on a hard, flat surface away from grass, shrubs or fencing
- Put disposable barbeques on bricks, do not place directly on grass
- Only dispose of the ashes when completely cool
Other tips include disposing garden waste using a local pick-up service or a recycling centre, ensuring cigarettes are completely out and moving mirrors away from windowsills to stop sunlight reflecting through the glass, which can start a fire.
“Our crews have been worked extremely hard by the conditions over the last few days. It is common to see an increase in fires during spells of hot weather, and we do plan for this," Stuart Smith, assistant chief fire officer at CFRS, said.
"However, the temperatures we’ve experienced, for the length of time we have, make the conditions very tough.”
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show more than 710,000 people were living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in 2024.
Mr Ball believes with this number set to increase, and plans to build new homes in and around Cambridge, this will pose a new challenge for the fire service.
"We're trying to identify exactly where we're starting to see our growth hotspots; how many extra fire stations are we going to need and how many extra fire engines?" he added.
"We'll work with partners around planning, local and national government, ensuring we've got a fire and rescue service that's being funded appropriately."