Crews tackle huge wildfire in drought-hit south Wales

Ellie Crabbe, Press Association

Crews declared a major incident as they tackled a huge wildfire in south Wales.

Firefighters have been at the scene of the blaze at Llanwonno, near Ferndale in the Rhondda valley, since Saturday afternoon.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) said on Monday the fire had affected 150 hectares of land, including forest, scrubland and vegetation.

Efforts to combat the blaze have been made more difficult by the steep terrain, SWFRS said.

Drone footage showed blackened ground and smoke billowing metres into the air over the valley.

A rest centre has been set up for residents of Blaenllechau and Ferndale at Rhondda Fach Leisure Centre in Tylorstown.

Though locals have not been forced to evacuate, the rest centre has been set up for people who do not wish to stay at home because of poor air quality caused by the fire.

The incident is expected to continue for a number of days, the fire service said, with crews expected to be at the scene overnight on Monday as they carried out controlled burns to manage the wildfire.

A spokesperson for SWFRS said: “We have declared it a major incident as it requires a greater demand on our resource and as such more co-ordination.

“There are currently 20 fire engines at the scene, supported by two specialist wildfire teams, senior officers, a high-volume pumping unit and drone capability.”

The wildfire comes as provisional statistics from the Met Office showed Wales had its driest July in records dating back to 1836, amid a summer of extreme weather that has seen the whole country plunged into drought.

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