Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 19/07/2010 09:12

Firefighters from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service have warned that they are being called out more frequently to domestic bonfires which have spread and gone out of control. In some instances, bonfires have spread to sheds, fences and properties causing significant damage.

CFRS Area Manager Mark Hewitt said: “The particularly long dry spell of weather we have had recently has contributed to an increase in call outs to bonfires. People are burning garden refuse which is now very dry and is burning considerably more fiercely than usual”.

Comparing incident rates to last year, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has seen a 43% rise in the number of such incidents compared to the same 3 month period last year. CFRS has attended a total of 16 bonfires, grass and gorse related incidents across Cornwall in just the first 6 days of July.

Cornwall Council’s Waste Awareness and Education Manager Esther O’Bearagh is also urging people to keep bonfires to a minimum: “Ideally householders should not have bonfires at all. One of the best ways to reduce waste is to compost as much as possible at home. A good compost bin or heap will convert all of your garden waste and a lot of your black bag waste into rich, useful compost, and the more things that you put in, the better the bin will work.”

Ideas on how to compost garden waste can be found on the Council’s website www.cornwall.gov.uk – search garden waste.

If it is necessary for you to have a bonfire, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service advise that you should:

Inform the Fire & Rescue Service Control room on 01872 320205 providing your location and expected time of burning, to avoid any unnecessary attendance of the service.
Locate the bonfire in an open area, away from any buildings, sheds or fences.
Check the weather conditions, looking specifically at the direction and speed of the wind.
Ensure before lighting the bonfire that no highly flammable materials will be involved such as gas canisters, paint tins, any form of chemicals and aerosols or plastics.
Stay in attendance with your bonfire
Keep a bucket of water or garden hose near by for emergencies.
Ensure that the remaining embers are fully extinguished before leaving alone.

From a wildlife point of view the advice is to make your bonfire up on the day so that no small animals such as frogs, toads or hedgehogs set up home in it. This also ensures that no one can add something they shouldn’t without the householder’s knowledge.

It is also a good idea to let neighbours know that you are intending to have a bonfire and make sure that the smoke is not blowing towards them.

If you need any further information, please contact the freephone Community Fire Safety Helpline on 0800 3581 999.