Nature reserve fire a tragedy, says councillor

A fire which scorched large swathes of a nature reserve near York was "devastating" for the local community, a councillor has said.

At its height, 10 crews tackled the blaze on Tuesday afternoon at the 1,430 acre (579 hectare) Strensall Common, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.

Strensall councillor Tony Fisher said parts of the land that had been destroyed would take years to grow back.

"The fire was absolutely raging. It's destroyed a large expanse of the common, which is such a tragedy," he said.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze was not yet known and a crew remained there to monitor the site.

The common covers a large area with two sections - the Yorkshire Wildlife Nature Reserve run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and an area used by the military for training and shooting.

According to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the nature reserve was home to more than 150 plant species and was the only place in England where the rare dark-bordered beauty moth could be found.

The blaze was believed to be about 1,970ft (600m) away from the moths' habitat, Fisher said.

"It's a big asset to Strensall, so it's devastating for people who live here," he said.

"I always say it adds about £20,000 to the value of every house, because where else in the country can you get four square miles of completely open territory?"

Fisher said there was no suggestion at present as to how the fire started, but praised the fire service for preventing it from spreading any further.

"The dry weather has left it tinder-dry, so a small spark could have easily set it off," he said.

"The firefighters and emergency services did an amazing job at controlling that fire because it nearly took the entire common out."

Ruth, a local resident, said she had taken walks at the site every day for years, and what she saw when she arrived there with a friend on Tuesday was "awful".

"I thought I could smell smoke and burning. I could see smoke above the trees," she explained.

Ruth said she tried to call for help, but there was no connection on her phone.

Luckily, a local councillor was at the scene and managed to get through on his phone, but fire crews were already on their way, she said.

"It was just shocking to watch the speed - the speed that fire moved was absolutely incredible."

Ruth said she saw a shepherd was moving sheep and lambs away from the scene, while cattle were already on another part of the common.

"There were so many fire engines arriving - even on quad bikes, because it's so difficult to get on," she said.

"The fire crews were saying in the past they'd have been able to use water from the ponds, but they're all dry.

"We were really, really concerned - especially about the ground-nesting birds. And there's a rare moth on there.

"It's just so heartbreaking. It's my happy place, the common soothes my soul. It's so upsetting."

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