Wildlife killed after heathland fire

A protected area of lowland heath wildfire has likely killed a number of animals after the incident on Friday evening.

Around three acres of Gentleshaw Common Nature Reserve was affected.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust stated:

"Thank you to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue who responded to a fire on our Gentleshaw Common Nature Reserve last night (Friday).

A large area of vegetation has been damaged and sadly much wildlife will have been impacted. It’s likely to have killed solitary bees, small mammals and reptiles. Ground nesting birds including skylark and meadow pipit will have also been victims.

While the cause of this fire is not yet known it is an example of how quickly a fire can take hold and how damaging wildfires can be."