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Country park to reopen after wildfire closures

Emily Ford
BBC News
Moors Valley Country Park and Forest Two firefighters are walking along a section of track in the country park. Their backs are to the camera and they follow a trail, which is covered in dead grass and the ground is blackened and scorched, while trees still line the path. The firefighters are dressed in red kit with yellow protective helmets on, the firefighter on teh left also has a yellow bag on their back, while the one on the right is carrying something over their right shoulder.Moors Valley Country Park and Forest
Moors Valley Country Park remained closed while firefighters monitored a number of fires and assessed their impact

A country park that has been hit by multiple wildfires is due to reopen on Friday.

Staff at Moors Valley Country Park, on the Dorset and Hampshire border, said they were "looking forward to welcoming everyone back".

It comes after wildfires started in the park on Monday and near the main entrance on Tuesday afternoon, with further hotspots then found on Wednesday.

In a statement, the park asked people to "respect and follow" diversions that had been put in place in the forest.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said on Wednesday crews discovered hotspots during a reinspection near Ringwood.

Firefighters tackled hotspots on Wednesday near Ringwood

The causes of the fires are not yet known, but they have destroyed several hectares of woodland. No-one has been injured.

The fire service explained an amber wildfire alert would be in place for the area it covers until the end of the week.

Area manager for DWFRS, Ant Bholah, previously said: "While the glorious weather is very welcome.... it does mean the ground and foliage are dry, leading to a greater risk of fire spreading if something happens to cause ignition."

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