A large fire spread through grassland near the Carwood Estate on Saturday afternoon on 10th July.
The fire service were called to Smithies Field, or Wood Hill as it is also known, at 4.15pm as the fire took hold. The Fire service said the blaze covered 150 square metres on their arrival, spreading to 500 square metres at its height. Teams from four stations tackled the fire for over five hours until 9.55pm.
Smithies Field is a recognised nature site because of its wild grasslands, which is home to many species of birds and insects. Foxes and bats are known to be resident there, and a number of rare and red list species have been recorded. Local resident Jim Bruce said,
“The damage is devastating, it’s affected a huge area, I've seen a dead fox cub in the site.”
The fire comes just months after local residents raised concerns about planning permission given to Redwall to build houses, flats and a nursing home at the top edge of Smithies Field.
The fire service described the cause of the fire as ‘accidental’.