 |
| The sun is blocked by the smoke in our garden |
Regular readers may have realised from previous blog posts that we live in Crowthorne. We're lucky to live in a very green area, but today there have been major fires in some of the forest surrounding the village. From our house towards the south of the village, we can see a lot of billowing white and grey smoke coming from Swinley Forest (also sometimes known as The Lookout). The air is thick with the smell of smoke and even though we are still some way away, the view of trees in the near distance is obstructed because of the smoke. The sound of sirens has been heard throughout the day and there have been several major road closures leading to restricted access in and out of the village. Some other local residents have managed to get some pictures of the damage and ongoing fire. The photos below are courtesy of Ian Emery.
Update 22:40: Personal reports from people on Facebook and Twitter are saying that the fire has spread across the Crowthorne bypass and towards the car park near Broadmoor. There are 20 engines in attendance, some from as far away as Feltham.
A video from Nathan Denne shows the extent of the fire earlier today.
Video of Crowthorne Forest Fire
Advisory from Thames Valley Police on their website:
Thames Valley Police Advisory
Update: 23:10: Although we know that the TRL site and Golden Retriever Pub were all evacuated, there are some reports that people on nearby Wooden Hill are also being moved.
I am sick with sorrow - this is devastating for the locals who enjoy the woods everyday with and without our pets. A very sad day indeed.
ReplyDeleteI drove through this yesterday, the smog of burning wood and tree sap, made me sick. Any news on why this happened?
ReplyDeleteI reported a fire in that area a week ago....is this STILL the same one?!!
ReplyDeleteThames Valley Police said that these fires broke out just before 1pm yesterday (Monday 2nd) so I doubt it's the same one. I haven't seen any reports on why or how they started yet.
ReplyDeletei missed it :( i used to live in crowthorne about a month ago but i moved. i definately would have gotten a lift to the train station then
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be too disappointed unless you like the smell of smoke on your clothes and in the house, and enjoy long diversions to get anywhere :)
ReplyDeleteIs that all the impact that this has had on you? Smelly clothes and delays? Ignorance is bliss i suppose.
ReplyDeleteI think it's obvious that by publishing my blog that I'm trying to bring this to the attention of more people. Just because traffic delays were mentioned doesn't mean that I am not acutely aware of the impact that this has had on many local people and wildlife in Swinley Forest. Please don't hide behind your anonymous tag, let us know how this has affected your life too. Hopefully, through sharing our experiences we can educate more people and stop fires like this starting in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI just wanna ask, is it frequent in your place to have a forest fire? Does it always happens to others too?
ReplyDeletePRE, no it's not common around here which is why it made such big news at the time. Let's hope it doesn't happen again.
ReplyDelete