Warning issued after mountain fire caused by unattended campfire

A wildfire caused by an unattended campfire has seen fire chiefs urge members of the public to enjoy the countryside responsibly.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent three crews and two wildfire units to tackle a fire on a mountainside at Dwygyfylchi, Conwy, after being alerted at 7.27pm on Tuesday, 20 August.

The service said the fire, which is thought to have affected around a quarter of an acre, is thought to have been caused by a campfire left unattended.

Tim Owen, from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are encouraging everyone to be wildfire wise and commit to simple precautions and take a little extra care to help ensure we can continue to enjoy our beautiful countryside and keep our communities safe from the devastating effects of wildfire.

"During this time of year, grass and mountains can become very dry, which means if you deliberately or accidentally start a fire outdoors it will spread very quickly, destroying everything in its path.

"We are encouraging all members of our communities to respect our countryside and play their part in safeguarding our environment and keeping our communities safe.

"While accidents do happen, they are also often avoidable, and our Wildfire Wise campaign focuses on educating us all on some of the small steps we can take to ensure we don’t accidentally cause a grass fire to ignite."

Advice to help protect the countryside includes ensuring all barbecues are discarded appropriately, not burying them in sand, and disposing of bottles, glasses and broken glass to avoid them magnifying the sun and potentially starting a fire.