A LARGE amount of gorse fires on Dartmoor are putting a stretch on the Fire Brigade's resources, Chagford station commander Iain Rice said this week.
Crews from Chagford and Okehampton were among the teams who tackled two large fires at Meldon Common and Jayes Grave near Chagford at the weekend.
Mr Rice said it was not unusual for gorse fires at this time of year but it would help if farmers and commoners would let the brigade know when they were planning to burn gorse.
'Gorse fires are only controlled when they are attended — if people light a fire and then walk away then it is not controlled,' he said.
'If we know what is happening we can send a fire officer out to oversee the operation.'
The Chagford crew attended 15 gorse fires last week and Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead had about the same, the officer said.
'If we are tackling these we cannot be in other places where we may be needed, for example at road traffic accidents.'
Mr Rice said burning gorse to improve grazing or swaling as it was known was an old traditional custom that was OK if it was done in the right fashion.
'Unfortunately some fires are lit maliciously and large areas are getting burnt,' he said. 'Half of the area of Meldon Hill was affected on Friday night.'
The station commander said if a fire was alight after dusk, the brigade would get lots of calls from members of the public but the location was hard to determine.
'Working in the darkness also makes it hard to put these fires out,' he said. 'Great damage can also be caused to nesting birds and trees.'
He is asking people to be aware of the dry conditions at the moment when they think about dropping cigarette butts out of a car window as they are travelling over the moor.
If people are planning to burn gorse they are being advised to phone a fire service helpline number on 01392 872288 or alert the police or county council.
A leaflet has also been produced by the fire service in conjunction with the Dartmoor Commoners Association giving advice and guidance on burning gorse.