Volunteers say work to tackle wildfire 'relentless'

Search and rescue volunteers assisting a fire service in tackling a wildfire said the work has been "relentless" at times.

Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (Sulsar) was called to Dunwich Heath on 30 July to help after a huge wildfire sparked the night before.

Elaine Glendinning, the chair of Sulsar and a drone pilot, said the group's drones were being used overnight to help identify hotspots the fire service could prioritise putting out.

"I think our role has been vital to [the fire service] and they've said the same to us," she told BBC Radio Suffolk's Wayne Bavin.

"We go in the sky because they can't see a lot from the ground and also they can't find the accessible ways to it.

"So we can identify the hotspots, we can identify sources of smoke flame and we can actually guide them into it."

She added: "We've been doing 12-hour shifts, overnight shifts, so 11 [drone] flights a night, which is quite exhausting really."

Sulsar has two teams of drone pilots as well as 4x4 vehicles to help drive firefighters around the site of the fire.

The teams are made up of volunteers, many of whom also have day jobs and Glendinning described them as "incredible".

She said this was the first time the service had ever been involved in an incident like the wildfire.

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The volunteers have also seen first hand the destruction caused by the fire.

"We've been based at Coastguard Cottage which are on Dunwich Heath so we drive through and along the heath," Glendinning explained.

"It's absolutely devastated. It's unrecognisable at the moment.

"But it's been reassuring to see over the last few nights we've seen deer still in the trees, and we've seen rabbits and animals have survived, but it is devastating."

The Sulsar teams have been doing overnight shifts across 12 hours which Glendinning said had been "relentless", and they were remaining on site until Friday.

Firefighters have not yet called a stop to the fire at Dunwich Heath and nearby RSPB Minsmere, more than a week after it started.

At its height, the fire engulfed 371 acres of heathland and forest (150 hectares) with 600 firefighters in attendance.

All of Suffolk's 35 fire stations sent crews to the scene, while firefighters from across the country also have been assisting.

Jon Lacey, the chief fire officer of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, described the fire as "unprecedented" and the crews had put in "extraordinary efforts".

The National Trust, which owns Dunwich Heath, has not yet been able to access the site, but said £350,000 had been raised so far to help restore the area in the future.

People were still being urged to stay away from the area.

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