FIREFIGHTERS have been thanked for minimising the size of a blaze which broke out last weekend at a beauty spot in Petersfield.

The ongoing dry spell meant the prospect of a fire breaking out on The Heath was almost inevitable, according to Petersfield Town Council (PTC)

The fire which started around 5.25pm on Saturday was confined to 1.5 hectares by firefighters using hose reels and beaters. The incident has highlighted how susceptible the area has become to heat during the dry spell, with a discarded cigarette end being the suspected cause of the fire.

It also took place less than a week after the Post published a report warning about the dangers of starting barbecues and ‘social fires’ on the Heath.

“Certainly we would want to thank firefighters for their very quick response and for getting the fire under control,” said Steve Field, office and committees manager at PTC, which oversees the Heath.

“But we also want to say, as a reminder, is just be careful with cigarette ends and not to hold barbecues, as they’re not permitted on The Heath.”

The fire, which was extinguished by Bordon and Liphook firefighters, was confined to the undergrowth but a bench was damaged and will need replacing.

Damage to the land will not be lasting since controlled burning often takes place on heathland sites to encourage regeneration.

“If you were standing on the same site next year you wouldn’t even know there had been a fire,” said senior groundsman Dugg Budd.