Storm puts out mountain fire left to burn for over two weeks

Stephen Price

Residents in a valleys town have shared their relief after a mountain fire that had been left to burn for over two weeks, despite repeated calls for intervention from fire services, was finally extinguished during last night’s downpour.

The fire at Clydach Dingle, on the edge of Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, which began burning around 23 July according to local eyewitnesses had been sending plumes of smoke as far east as Gilwern, with many locals reporting its severity and potential impact on local buildings, wildlife and driving conditions on the nearby A465.

Brynmawr residents shared their concerns with Fire Services over the past fortnight, and relayed their worries on a local community Facebook page, with many questioning the lack of early intervention and potential for spreading further, as well as a lack of communication from the authorities.

As time passed, smoke could be seen as far away in Abergavenny, with residents of nearby villages remarking on the smell of burning, as smouldering could be seen spreading towards local landmark, The Lonely Shepherd.

One resident shared: “I reported it when it was a small patch on 1st Aug. Shame they didn’t stop it then.”

Writing on a post shared on Monday, 11 August, another resident said: “It’s the peat burning. Unless we have rain, it will be impossible to completely put out.”

“What actions are in place?”

Echoing others’ concerns about the lack of information given, the writer of the last post to appear on 11 August, Dave Randall, asked: “I know you said it would take days to put out but this fire has been going on for weeks now and spreading.

“I know it’s difficult to deal with due to the size and I respect the fire service as it’s impossible to deal with. But have they said what actions are in place?”

Speaking to Nation Cymru, Luke Smith who lives in Brynmawr said: “I and many others called the Fire Services back in late July as we were worried about the potential for it to not only spread to local houses or the school, but about the impact it must be having on local wildlife – particularly nesting birds, small mammals and lizards.

“It beggars belief that it was just allowed to spread as it did, and I’m just grateful it rained heavily overnight.”

He added: “Keeping the community informed and up to date should have been essential, but we were all kept completely in the dark.”

A member of public from Abergavenny, who called the Fire Services on 25 July, also shared their relief but questioned how it had been left for so long, sharing: “We are seeing more and more situations like this – the Sugar Loaf being a recent example, where the fire is being left to put itself out, with no regard for nature.

“If this is going to be happening more and more with climate change, our Fire Services are going to have to do more to alleviate local concerns, to communicate better with those nearby, and to update their training on minimising spread and impact. This could have got really out of hand if the weather didn’t change as it did.”

Storms

Mercifully, a thunderstorm on 11 August resulted in heavy downpours which have, for the time being, put out the flames, but with smouldering still seen from the opposite valley below Brynmawr’s Milfraen Mountain, many are concerned the fire could re-start at any moment.

Emergency services were reportedly on site on 11 August, as reports came in of a serious accident on the A465 which resulted in the death of two horses.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: “We received a report of a road traffic collision on A465, heading towards Brynmawr, at around 10.35pm on Sunday.

“Officers attended along with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. The collision involved two cars and two horses.

“The driver of both vehicles went to hospital as a precaution. Two horses died at the scene.

“The A465, which was closed between Tredegar and Ebbw Vale while recovery work took place, has since opened.”

Despite their presence at the fire during this time, however, smoke continued to billow from the mountain up until the storms later that evening.