Crews return as fire picks up at peat fen reserve

The public has been asked to avoid part of a nature reserve that is once again on fire.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were in attendance at "a fire in the open" at Holme Fen Nature Reserve, south of Peterborough.

More than 40 firefighters were first called to the site on 27 July to tackle the blaze, which the service said was "deep seated in peat", making it likely to burn for longer.

The service said it had received multiple calls about the outbreak on Saturday and urged people to "avoid the area where possible so crews can carry out their work".

The site is managed by Natural England and is home to a variety of wildlife species, including 500 types of fungi, enabling the reserve to be declared a site of special scientific interest.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire advised visitors to stay away from areas where they could see any scorching, and keep dogs on a lead until confirmation that the fire has been fully extinguished.

Nev Burgess, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service's incident commander, previously told the BBC it was "incredibly difficult" to know the exact location of peat fires "because it burns under the surface and it burns quite fiercely".

He estimated the fire had taken hold at least 1m (3.3ft) below the surface.

"My previous experience is that these do tend to last for days as opposed to hours because of the type of fire that they are and the access we need," he said.

The fire is being investigated as a suspected arson attack, and Cambridgeshire Police has urged anyone with information to contact the force.

Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.