Service Responds to Dozens of Incidents in Berkshire During Heatwave 

Last weekend, firefighters from across Berkshire were incredibly busy responding to incidents following a prolonged spell of hot, dry weather. 

Working alongside blue light partners and neighbouring fire and rescue services, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) crews responded to dozens of outdoor fires wrought by the weather conditions. 

Meanwhile, Thames Valley Fire Control Service took hundreds of calls throughout the weekend, supporting communities across the entire region. 

Graeme Hartley, Station Manager at RBFRS, said: “After a prolonged period of hot, dry weather, the risk of wildfire across the county is substantial. In the past few days alone, we have responded to a significant number of fires in the open, especially in rural areas.

“However, our crews are well trained and equipped to respond to these sorts of incidents and have been hard at work protecting rural communities from outdoor fires.

“The Service has also invested in several specialist vehicles designed to support crews in responding to fires in the open in rural or hard to reach places, such as water carriers and offroad vehicles.

“Whilst our crews continue to work hard responding to outdoor fires, we would ask that people living in rural areas take extra steps to help reduce the risk of fire. Make sure you safely store bales, fuel and fertilisers and keep any water bowsers topped up if possible.

“If you discover an outdoor fire, get to a safe location and call 999. Give as much information about the exact location of the fire as you can so that we can find it as quickly as possible. You may also need to give crews access or guide them towards the fire if it is away from a main road.”

Whilst crews are trained and equipped to respond to all manner of incidents, you can do your part to keep Berkshire safe.

A crew from Slough was called out at 10:30 am to a fire next between junctions 15 and 16 on the M25. Joined by firefighters from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, they used one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire. 

Just after noon, crews from Whitley Wood and Theale fire stations were called to an incident on Bucklebury Road in Stanford Dingley. They used two hose reels to extinguish a field fire. 

At around the same time, crews from Newbury, Mortimer and Theale joined firefighters from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service at an incident on Brimpton Common in Reading. Firefighters used three hose reels, beaters and one main jet to extinguish the fire. 

At 2:30pm, a crew from Wokingham Fire Station extinguished a fire in tree scrub near the A33 at Three Mile Cross. 

Later that afternoon, firefighters responded to a large field fire near Monks Lane in Newbury. Working alongside Thames Valley Police, firefighters from Newbury, Mortimer and Crowthorne extinguished the fire, together with crews from Oxfordshire and Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire and rescue service. Read more about this incident. 

In the evening, firefighters responded to a call at 5:43pm to a fire on Pingewood in Burghfield. A crew from Whitley Wood extinguished a fire caused by a bonfire. 

At 9:38pm, we were called to another incident near Greenham in Thatcham. Firefighters from Hungerford Fire Station used on hose reel and one main jet to extinguish a stretch of undergrowth that was on fire.  

At 3:28am on Saturday morning, firefighters from Wokingham used a hose reel to extinguish a fire in a pub garden on Market Place in Wokingham. 

A crew from Wokingham was again called out at 9:35am to Duffet Drive in Winnersh where they used a hose reel to extinguish a small fire in the open. 

At 1pm that afternoon, firefighters from Newbury were joined by 4×4 support vehicles from Hungerford and Lambourn at an incident near Shaw. The crews used two hose reels, backpack extinguishers and beaters to extinguish a fire involving two trees. 

Firefighters from Wokingham and Whitley Wood fire stations responded to an incident on Monitor Way in Woodley just after 4:30pm. Upon arrival, they used one hose reel jet to extinguish a fire that had spread to a fence and a garage. 

At 9:34pm on Saturday evening, we were called to an outdoor fire near Wishmoor Bottom in Sandhurst. Firefighters remain at the scene at this time, having returned to damp down hotspots and contain resurgent fires. Read more about this incident.

At 12:47pm, firefighters from Wokingham Road Fire Station extinguished a small peat fire on Duffet Drive in Winnersh using backpack extinguishers and a spade. 

We were called to another outdoor fire near Newbury at 4:41pm where we were joined by crews from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Read more about this incident. 

At around 5pm, crews from Slough and Langley fire stations were extinguished a large grass fire in Eton Wick.  

Later that night, at around 8:42pm, a crew from Newbury extinguished a bonfire that had grown out of control near Old Street in Hermitage.