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Crews work overnight to tackle nature reserve fire

Indy Almroth-WrightSouth of England
DWFRS Two firefighters at night spraying water from hoses onto a heath fire with bank of flames seen.DWFRS
The fire service said the blaze spread rapidly on Wednesday night due to high winds

Firefighters have been tackling a fire on heathland at a nature reserve overnight.

The blaze on Canford Heath near Poole broke out on Wednesday at about 20:00 GMT with crews from across Dorset and Hampshire sent in 14 firefighting appliances.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said flames had spread rapidly due to high winds with relief crews brought in during the early hours to dampen down.

Residents are being urged to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed due to the large amount of smoke.

DWFRS Firefighters and a fire appliance at night spraying water from hoses onto a heath fire with bank of flames seen.DWFRS
Firefighters worked through the night to dampen down

The 344-hectare Canford Heath is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

It is home to dragonflies, damselflies, Dartford warblers, nightjars and all six species of British reptile.

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