Suffolk wildfire impact 'will be felt for years to come', charity says as blaze burns for fourth day

Summary

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says the situation at Dunwich Heath is stable as firefighters continue to tackle a wildfire for the fourth day
The RSPB says the impact of the wildfire on the landscape and local wildlife "will be felt for years to come"
The National Trust says the loss to wildlife and habitat is "absolutely devastating" - the lowland heath habitat is one of the UK's rarest
The charity says it will take time to make plans for restoring of the heath, but adds that "we must help nature adapt to new conditions" as the climate changes
"Just to see it all up in smoke is heart-wrenching," wildlife photographer Jon Evans, who previously lived on Dunwich Heath, tells the BBC
At its height, the fire service says the blaze affected about 371 acres (150 hectares), equivalent to the size of 210 football pitches - our map shows the extent of the burnt area

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Live Reporting

Edited by Charlie Jones, with reporting by Katy Prickett and George King

Teen helps evacuate parents and babies from caravan parkpublished at 10:51 BST 30 July
Vikki Irwin
in Westleton

Image source, Vikki Irwin/BBC
Archie, 16, from west London, was staying at his grandparents' caravan on the Dunwich Cliffs estate and helped evacuate the site.
He said he had been standing outside and spotted "a glow through the trees", and moments later a firefighter emerged.
"It was a bit too close for comfort but I wasn't panicked," he said.
"He asked me to help go around, knocking on doors telling people to prepare a bag in case they had to evacuate tonight."
He said he'd been coming to the site since he was a child and knew it well to navigate in the dark.
"I had to knock on everyone's doors. I had to get this woman and her two babies out of bed, get them in the car, an older woman, and get everybody out."
He said eventually he couldn't see 5ft in front of him due to how heavy the smoke was.
Smoke drifted over equestrian centrepublished at 10:44 BST 30 July

An equestrian centre for retired horses, just a mile from Dunwich Heath, says its staff were up most of the night ensuring the animals were safe and could be evacuated, if needed.
Dunwich Equestrian says in a statement, external some of the animals with asthma were moved elsewhere as smoke drifted over the centre, but they add that "not one of the horses really seemed to care that we were all running around after them".
"At 05:00 this morning I returned and fed everyone... we currently have no smoke but there's one hell of a smoke cloud drifting out to sea away from the village," they add.
Image source, Dunwich Equestrian

Firefighters tackle flames as trees alightpublished at 10:41 BST 30 July

Footage from Wednesday evening shows fire crews tackling the blaze, which was destroying vast amounts of trees and greenery.
Media caption,
Firefighters tackle flames
Evacuees praise kindness of villagerspublished at 10:34 BST 30 July
Vikki Irwin
in Westleton

Driving down the A12 at Marlesford towards Dunwich, I could see the dark smoke - the plume looked miles wide. Marlesford is at least 10 miles (16km) away.
As I got closer to Westleton Village Hall, there were towers of smoke towards the coast - you can smell the fire in the air.
At the village hall, volunteers turned out smiling and welcoming those who had to leave their homes or caravans in the night.
The village found beds for more than 40 people and hosted a breakfast for 60 this morning.
Evacuees grateful for the kindness have praised the village and those who have turned out to help when they were in greatest need.
Image source, Vikki Irwin/BBC

'It was a real shock,' says holidaymakerpublished at 10:23 BST 30 July
Alice Cunningham
Suffolk

Our reporter Luke Deal has just spoken to Tara Dowsett from Chelmsford in Essex, who was on holiday at Cliff House Holiday Park close to the heath when the fire broke out.
She explained they had been driving back from Lowestoft on Wednesday night when they started to drive through "thick smoke", initially thinking it was an out-of-control bonfire.
"It was a real shock," she said.
She added that their dog, who they left at the holiday park, had to be rescued by police officers.
"It's scary, but I just want to give a big shout out to the people of Westleton because actions do speak louder than words," she continued.
"There's so much negativity in the world and you realise actually there are more kind people than nasty people."
Where is Dunwich Heath?published at 10:17 BST 30 July

Dunwich Heath is an area of coastal lowland just south of the village of Dunwich in Suffolk.
It is about 25 miles (40km) north-east from the county town of Ipswich.

People asked to avoid coastpublished at 10:08 BST 30 July

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has urged people not to head to Dunwich Beach or anywhere else near the heathland "due to the ongoing nature and seriousness of the fire".
"We understand that the warm weather makes a trip to the coast very appealing, but for everyone's safety we are asking people to stay away from the area at this time," said a spokesperson.
"It is essential that the area and surrounding roads are kept clear to allow emergency services to carry out their work safely and effectively, and to help protect members of the public."
Orange glow on the coast at dawnpublished at 10:06 BST 30 July

Three miles (4.8km) down the coast from Dunwich, the fire was clearly visible in Walberswick as the sun rose.
Image source, David Riches

Dry weather creating a 'tinder box'published at 09:55 BST 30 July
Vikki Irwin
BBC Radio Suffolk

Colin Fisher, from Westleton Parish Council, has told me the response has been "truly amazing".
"A lot of people have turned out to do what they can where they can," he says.
"It's a hazard of living in an area where there's almost always a wind, and when you get an extended dry period like this, it's always a risk that there will be something of this nature that happens.
"In the past they tend to get put out quite quickly, but because of the dry weather, everything is a tinderbox."
Image source, Vikki Irwin/BBC
Aerial pictures show huge cloud of smokepublished at 09:46 BST 30 July

Footage captured at the scene shows the scale of the fire that crews are having to deal with.
Media caption,
Aerial pictures show plumes of smoke from scene

Fire comes amid heat and drought warningpublished at 09:39 BST 30 July

The blaze comes as the UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat-health alert for the East Midlands, East of England, South East and London.
Suffolk is also among the areas of England where drought has been declared by the Environment Agency.
Droughts bring with them a high risk of wildfires, the agency warned.
Nuclear site Sizewell B not at risk, says fire servicepublished at 09:27 BST 30 July

Image source, Liz Quickenden
Image caption,
Huge smoke plumes were visible in the distance from Sizewell beach on Wednesday evening
The Sizewell nuclear power station is about four miles (6.4km) down the coast from Dunwich Heath, as the crow flies.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said: "At this time there is no current risk to Sizewell B, due to the distance from the fire and the direction it is travelling (easterly).
"However, this is a live and dynamic situation and as a result any further updates will be shared accordingly."

No injuries reportedpublished at 09:22 BST 30 July

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed there are currently no injuries reported.
However, the East of England Ambulance Service will remain on standby in case paramedics are needed.
Everyone evacuated safelypublished at 09:10 BST 30 July

Image source, Luke Deal/BBC
A briefing for those affected by the fire has recently been held at Westleton Village Hall.
About 60 people attended the update led by Suffolk County Council's emergency planning officer, Peter Langford.
He said no property had been damaged and everyone was evacuated safely, but described the fire as a "very fluid" situation.
Image source, Luke Deal/BBC

Holidaymaker told 'go immediately'published at 09:04 BST 30 July
Luke Deal
BBC Radio Suffolk

Justin North and his wife were staying at a holiday cottage at Dunwich Cliffs and were woken up by "hammering" on their door at 23:30 BST on Wednesday.
He told the BBC he was asked to "go immediately".
There was no time to pack up, he said.
The couple first noticed smoke at about 17:30 but "didn't really give it much thought" until they were evacuated.
He said driving conditions were difficult due to the smoke in the dark, and the couple had to sleep in their car before being able to access the evacuation centre.
Image source, Luke Deal/BBC
Villagers took in displaced peoplepublished at 09:02 BST 30 July

Image source, Luke Deal/BBC
Barbara Buckley, chair of Westleton Village Hall, said most of the people who came to the centre overnight were housed with villagers.
"People came in very distressed, very disoriented. [There were] little children, families and older people with some disabilities."
Image source, Luke Deal/BBC

'Blitz-like spirit' at evacuation centre, says holidaymakerpublished at 08:57 BST 30 July
Luke Deal
BBC Radio Suffolk

Image source, Luke Deal/BBC
About 60 people including families with babies, young children and dogs, have attended Westleton Village Hall so far this morning after being displaced by the fire.
One of those - Justin North - said there was a "kind of blitz spirit" among the people evacuated, who were just "happy to be safe and out".
About 14 football pitches of heathland on firepublished at 08:55 BST 30 July

Image source, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
About 24.7 acres (10 hectares) of coastal heathland - roughly the size of 14 football pitches - is on fire.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was "rapidly spreading" when they first arrived on the scene yesterday.
This morning, 70 firefighters are still tackling it and the incident has been described as "dynamic".

Major incident declaredpublished at 08:52 BST 30 July

The heathland blaze was declared a major incident after it started at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
About 90 firefighters were at the scene of the fire at the peak of the blaze yesterday.
Fire crews have been at the scene overnight but the blaze is still burning.
People evacuated overnight from large heathland blazepublished at 08:46 BST 30 July
Rachael McMenemy
BBC News

A large wildfire on the Suffolk coast has led to a number of people being evacuated from a holiday park and homes.
Up to 90 firefighters have been tackling the blaze at Dunwich Heath, which began on Wednesday afternoon.
Dozens of people, including families with babies and dogs, have been evacuated and are now located at Westleton Village Hall.
We'll bring you the latest updates on this developing story.