At 12:07pm on Sunday, 12 July, we received reports of a fire near Mead Lane in Upper Basildon.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Caversham Road, Wokingham Road, Newbury, Hungerford, Wokingham, Mortimer, Slough, Langley and Theale fire stations were sent to the scene.

They were joined by off-road vehicles from Hungerford, Lambourn, Mortimer and Crowthorne fire stations, an Incident Command Unit from Maidenhead Fire Station, the ‘Zetros’ water carrier from Bracknell Fire Station and five Officers. Several crews from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were also called to the scene.

On arrival, firefighters discovered a large fire in the open involving one square kilometre of farmland, scrubland and copses. Firefighters used several hose reels to extinguish the fire, working with Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue’s Drone Team to identify any hotspots. Crews also worked with farmers to create fire breaks to prevent further spread of the fire.

Crews were at the scene for approximately 24 hours.