FIREFIGHTERS and commoners from across Devon have been battling to contain a wildfire on Dartmoor for the past two days.

Approximately 12,500 acres of moorland has been destroyed by the fire which has now been extinguished.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue control took multiple calls reporting a large fire in the Cut Hill area of north-west Dartmoor on Sunday, May 4 at around 2.30pm.

Three appliances were initially mobilised from Okehampton, Hatherleigh and North Tawton, along with a water bowser from Exeter’s Danes Castle station and a wildfire support officer. Okehampton and Tavistock also took the decision to deploy their All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and 4x4 units.

Colin Abel, of Lower Godsworthy Farm at Peter Tavy near Tavistock and fourteen other commoners were called out to help the fire service tackle the flames.

He said: “When I saw the fire I thought ‘Oh my God this is going to be a disaster.’ but it was inevitably going to happen with the amount of vegetation there.”

The commoners and farmers worked in partnership with the firefighters to put out the fire.

“We extinguished the fire by midnight but because of the location and how big the fire was. It was logistically quite tricky to put all of the flames out,” said Colin.

“The fire will benefit the land eventually because it’s burned away the dead grass that’s been growing there for the past 20 years. It’s not all negative.”

By the time the Hatherleigh fire crew reached the remote location on Sunday, they confirmed that the fire front was approximately one mile long.

The crew requested a further two all terrain vehicles (ATVs) which were sent from Bovey Tracey and Middlemoor, along with a drone from the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) station.

By 5.30pm the fire front was measuring nearly two miles.

“Additional crews were mobilised through the early evening and liaised with Dartmoor rangers at the scene to observe the fire and ascertain current size of fire front,” said a spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue.

“An incident command unit (ICU) was sent from Totnes with a crew from Buckfastleigh to support them along with a 4x4 from Princetown, a welfare unit from Ivybridge and two relief appliances from Chagford and Princetown. A helicopter from the National Police Air Service also attended to provide aerial support.”

In the early hours of Monday, May 5 additional relief crews from Moretonhampstead and Yelverton were sent to the fire with crews carrying out a watching brief from two strategic locations.

Two more relief fire appliances from Tavistock and Crediton arrived at the scene at 8am and an incident command unit also in attendance to relieve the ICU from Totnes.

“The 4x4 from Princetown has been remobilised to assist with access on the moor and following a multi-agency meeting early this morning two ATVs from Tavistock and Bovey Tracey have also been remobilised to access and extinguish the fire.”

A spokesperson for Dartmoor National Park Authority said: “This bank holiday weekend a significant wildfire broke out on central Dartmoor. Thanks to the hard work of teams on the ground it has now been extinguished. However, significant damage has been done and there is concern for wildlife in the affected area. “