Katie Williams
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

The area affected by the Suffolk wildfire has grown to the size of around 200 football pitches, according to the local fire service, with firefighting efforts set to continue overnight.

• When it started: Suffolk Fire and Rescue service was called out to reports of a blaze at Dunwich Heath near Leiston at around 17:30 BST yesterday - it declared a major incident shortly after due to its "size and complexity"
• Scale of the blaze: The wildfire has since grown to an area equal to more than 200 football pitches - up from around 14 football pitches this morning - but the nearby nuclear power plant Sizewell B is not at risk. Jon Lacey, the local fire chief, told the BBC earlier that the fire was "unprecedented"
• Emergency response: Around 120 firefighters are currently at the scene with more fire engines also being called in from London, while a helicopter has been dropping sea water on the flames. PM Andy Burnham has pledged "all the support" the fire service needs
• Local reaction: Some holidaymakers who were evacuated from a caravan site have described the incident as "quite scary", but paid tribute to the "heartwarming" kindness of local volunteers
• Looking ahead: Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says the major incident response can be expected to carry on for another 48 hours at least

We are now bringing our live coverage to a close, but you can read more in our story.

Image source, PA Media

Local MP - and former Green party co-leader - Adrian Ramsay has thanked emergency services "for their dedicated work in incredibly difficult conditions battling the wildfire at Dunwich".

Ramsay, who represents the adjoining Waveney Valley, urges locals to follow safety advice to "stay away from the area and keep doors and windows closed".

"This has now been declared a major incident and I hope the fire can be tackled while keeping firefighters and the public safe,” he says.

Image source, Reuters

Rob Tucker is a retired accountant who owns a holiday home in the evacuated area, but is uncertain if it has been affected by the fire.

“Our house is a holiday home and we heard about the fire this morning, about 60 miles away," he tells the Reuters news agency.

"So we got in the car and thought we'd better come up here to make sure the house is all right because the fire brigade said the fire was dynamic, so we didn't know which way it was going.

"So we came up to see if our house was intact and we couldn't get there, but we think it is intact.”

Image source, Wildlife Wise

Wildlife Wise, external, a partnership project dedicated to protecting the Suffolk coast's wildlife and habitats, is urging the public to act responsibly to help prevent further wildfires, as Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service continues to respond to the Dunwich Heath fire.

Its Wildfire Free Suffolk campaign was launched with the fire service earlier this summer to raise awareness of how fires start in the open and how they can be prevented. It urges the public to:

• Avoid lighting barbecues and campfires near vegetation such as grass, heath land or wood land and only use them in designated safe areas
• Douse disposable barbecues with water, to cool completely, then dispose of them in household (black) bins - never in public bins
• Ensure cigarettes and smoking materials are fully extinguished and disposed of responsibly - including vapes which should be taken to dedicated recycling points

Image source, SFRS

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Angela Rayner has paid tribute to the "brave firefighters" tackling the wildfire in Suffolk.

In a video posted on X, external, the housing secretary says the firefighters' "skill and dedication and bravery is outstanding".

“My thoughts are also with the residents that have had to leave their homes. I know it’s incredibly difficult circumstances."

She adds that the prime minister will ensure that the “fire and rescue services, mutual aid and local services will have all the resources they need.”

Image source, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

Firefighters are making "good progress" in tackling the wildfire, a senior official in Suffolk says.

Freddie Gulliver, who is part of the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit, says fire engines from London have been called in to help extinguish the blaze.

But he reiterates that "anything can still happen until the fire is out completely”.

There are around 120 firefighters currently tackling the fire and crews are expected to stay at the site for the next 24 to 36 hours, Gulliver adds.

Asked about concerns the fire could spread to the nearby Sizewell nuclear power plants, Gulliver says it is "not a concern".

A helicopter has been picking up sea water and dropping it on the blaze, with firefighting efforts continuing into the evening.

More than 100 firefighters have been involved in tackling the blaze, which began yesterday evening.

James Kelly
BBC Your Voice

Claire, from Essex, was camping nearby with her husband and four children when they were told they had to evacuate immediately as smoke was starting to blow over the area.

"Within minutes, what had been a busy family campsite turned into families frantically throwing whatever essentials they could into their cars," she says.

"We had no choice but to abandon our tent and almost all of our camping equipment and leave, not knowing whether the fire would reach the campsite or if we’d ever see our belongings again."

Claire describes how the hardest part was staying calm for her children, who were "exhausted and frightened".

They're now staying with a local couple in Westleton, who opened up their home: "After such an uncertain 24 hours, that generosity has meant the world to us."

Footage from drone cameraman Ryan Lovejoy, the BBC and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service shows us how the flames took hold yesterday - leaving devastation behind today.

As a reminder, here's how quickly the fire has unfolded over 24 hours:

• Wednesday 17:30 BST: The fire service is called to reports of a heathland blaze, which is declared a major incident later that evening
• Thursday 08:55: We report that the fire is burning across 10 hectares (24.7 acres) - roughly the size of 14 football pitches
• Thursday 12:00: Suffolk County Council says about 100 hectares (247 acres) is burning, which is a 10-fold increase in just a few hours
• Thursday 17:30: The fire has grown by another 50% to 150 hectares (371 acres); that's approximately 210 football pitches.

Suffolk has only received 2% of its average monthly rainfall for July so far, according to the Met Office.

Other counties have recorded similar figures as low as 1% and 0% for the month.

The rainfall in Suffolk for this summer (measured from the start of June until the end of August) is currently 36% of what it usually gets.

"Some showers, possibly heavy are possible this evening and into the early hours of Friday," a Met Office spokesperson added.

"Further showers are likely next week, possibly thundery."

The area affected by the wildfire has grown to 150 hectares (371 acres), the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches.

Earlier, we told you it was affecting about 100 hectares.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says the major incident response can be expected to carry on for another 48 hours at least.

“Changing wind conditions continue to affect the direction and behaviour of the fire, making it difficult to predict how it may spread,” the fire service says.

It adds that it has requested additional national support, "including wildfire specialist appliances, officers, and tactical advisers".

George King
Suffolk

Dr Rupert Read is an environmental philosopher, a former professor at the University of East Anglia and the co-director of the Climate Majority Project.

He says it is “sad that a wonderful area has been damaged in this way”.

“This kind of wildfire is very sadly exactly the kind of event we now have to expect as climate breakdown accelerates,” he says.

“We need to act as a high priority to make ourselves safer against this sort of thing, now, across East Anglia, and of course far beyond.

“Because this is only the beginning. Next summer will almost certainly be worse. Making ourselves safer begins with citizen vigilance. But it doesn’t end there.”

Image source, PA Media

More now from the chief fire officer at Suffolk.

Speaking to the BBC in Westleton earlier, Jon Lacey described the last 24 hours as "unprecedented".

“I've been to some significant incidents, but I don't think I've ever had a fire that I've had to deal with that has had 125 firefighters on the scene. It is very unusual.”

Image source, Reuters

Jude Bayly, who owns caravans in the evacuated area, says she feels "incredibly emotional" about the wildfire.

"I feel every time I speak to a son or my husband I feel very weepy and that's just shock, I would imagine," she tells the Reuters news agency.

"The devastation of this area, which is a natural beauty, and the wildlife is just awful.

"You see it on the television with France and Spain and you're quite removed from it and then it's here and I feel quite as if it's actually... I'm not really taking it in."

Luke Deal
in Westleton

Image source, Vikki Irwin/BBC

Russell Howard, with his wife Marie and daughter Alice, have been caught up in the Dunwich Heath incident along with their dog Kira during a camping trip.

Marie says they were out for the day on Wednesday when they saw fire engines and smoke.

They saw the smoke from the beach.

Russell says at 22:00 BST they were told they might have to be evacuated before they then were told to leave by wardens.

"It was a little bit scary," he says. "People on the campsite were going nuts and leaving quite quickly.

"We took our time and we still left quite a bit there like our tent... we then made our way to the beach car park where we spent the night, not really getting much sleep."

Russell says they could see an orange glow in the sky during the night and they saw some injured animals.

George King
Suffolk

Image source, Supplied

Retired ecologist Chris Keeling says the impact the fire will have on wildlife and habitats is "so terribly sad" and "horrendous".

"I find it utterly sickening and it just makes me feel so desperately sad to see that destruction," said the 67-year-old, who is the vice chairman of Suffolk Bird Group.

"We need to really value our wilder habitats, nature and biodiversity because we all depend on it and a world without that is going to be a rather sadder place."

The area is home to everything from Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats to native reptiles such as adders, common lizards and slow worms.

Navtej Johal
Reporting from Westleton

Suffolk chief fire officer Jon Lacey says there are approximately 100 to 150 people who have been evacuated from their accommodation.

"We have around 76 people at this rest centre who have been directly affected," he explains.

"There are other people at the caravan parks who evacuated and went their own way to another location.

"We are unable to collect exact numbers on those as they dispersed on their own."

Rozina Sini
Your Voice

Image source, Supplied

Lauren, from Yorkshire, drove down to Dunwich, Suffolk, with her partner Richard and two children for their caravan holiday.

However, shortly after arriving, the wildfire started and the family was evacuated.

"It was quite scary getting a knock on the door at midnight. There was a lot of smoke in the air, it was unpleasant to breathe."

Lauren describes how she was then offered a place to stay by volunteers who let her and her family stay in their home. This morning the family was also welcomed to the town hall for a cooked breakfast by more volunteers.

"It was utterly heartwarming, everyone was so friendly. A woman offered to do some colouring with the children so that we could listen to the briefing from the fire service.

"We cannot thank the local community and the emergency services enough."

The National Trust is thanking the fire service and local farmers for working to contain the fire.

Properties on the site have been protected so far.

Russell Clement says in a statement: "At the moment, the iconic Coastguard Cottages have escaped the path of the fire.

"We're incredibly grateful for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and the multiple agency response, including local farmers, who are doing all they can to contain the fire."