Incidents just 300 metres apart
Police and the fire service are investigating two hedgerow fires in the west of the Island yesterday (Tues 3rd)
The first happened around 4.15pm where there was a report of a fire on the Arrasey Road, Glen Maye.
Around 20 metres of hedgerow next to a LPG gas tank installation was in flames. Crews from Peel quickly extinguished the fire using a hose reel and then spent a further hour damping down.
The second incident came just over two hours later at 6.15pm, Peel fire station was mobilised again to a report of a hedgerow fire on Arrasey Road which was found to be just 300 metres away from the site of the first blaze. The fire was developing quickly due to the dry conditions, thick gorse and a light breeze and firefighting efforts were hampered by poor water supplies.
Four fire engines and two Pinzgauer off-road vehicles helped in the efforts to extinguish an area of around 100m by 30m which was ablaze. Rangers from DEFA Hills, Forests and Plantations also helped officers tackle and eventually extinguish the flames.
Members of the public are being asked to be vigilant and to call the Police if the see any suspicious activity prior to or post fire and the fire Service is also reminding everyone to use extreme caution during the continued spell of fine weather.
The incidents came just a couple of days after authorities issued a previous warning about wildfires on the Island.
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