Major incident declared in Suffolk as 90 firefighters tackle wildfire on heathland
Several people evacuated after ‘large-scale, wind-driven’ fire 3 miles from Sizewell B nuclear plant A major incident has been declared as firefighters battle a large heathland fire on the Suffolk coast about 3 miles from the Sizewell B nuclear power plant. Suffolk fire and rescue service was called to reports of a wildfire at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday, and crews remained at the scene on Thursday. About 90 firefighters were tackling the blaze, and several people had been evacuated. Firefighters have said there is not thought to be any danger to Sizewell B at this time, and an EDF spokesperson said the wildfire was not affecting operations at the power station.
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However, this is a live and dynamic situation and as a result any further updates will be shared accordingly.” Crews have been focused on protecting nearby properties, while preparations have been made for the potential evacuation of about 200 caravans at the Cliff House holiday park if conditions deteriorate. People have been urged to avoid the area where possible and keep windows and doors closed.
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Version 2updated
Several people evacuated after ‘large-scale, wind-driven’ fire breaks out at Dunwich Heath near Leiston A major incident has been declared as firefighters battle a large heathland fire on the Suffolk coast. Suffolk fire and rescue service was called to reports of a wildfire at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday, and crews remained at the scene on Thursday morning. About 90 firefighters were tackling the blaze, while several people had been evacuated. Leiston is about 5km away from Sizewell B, but firefighters have said there is not thought to be any danger to the nuclear power station at this time.
Version 4updated
Several people evacuated after ‘large-scale, wind-driven’ fire 3 miles from Sizewell B nuclear plant A major incident has been declared as firefighters battle a large heathland fire on the Suffolk coast about 3 miles from the Sizewell B nuclear power plant. Suffolk fire and rescue service was called to reports of a wildfire at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday, and crews remained at the scene on Thursday. About 90 firefighters were tackling the blaze, and several people had been evacuated. Firefighters have said there is not thought to be any danger to Sizewell B at this time, and an EDF spokesperson said the wildfire was not affecting operations at the power station.