Around 60 firefighters are tackling a huge barn fire containing about 2,000 bales.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) was called to the blaze in East Lulworth, Dorset, at 3.03am today (Saturday).
The fire involved a barn containing around 2,000 bales of either hay or straw, as well as a derelict outbuilding. It comes days after the service declared a major incident.
At the height of the incident, approximately 60 firefighters were working to stop the flames spreading to nearby trees, land and property.
Crews attended from Poole, Hamworthy, Swanage, Redhill Park, Westbourne, Dorchester, Wimborne, Maiden Newton, Weymouth, Blandford and Beaminster.
Specialist resources included small off-road vehicles from Bere Regis and Swanage, water carriers from Poole and Yeovil, and a Unimog from Wareham.
The fire destroyed the barn and its contents, as well as the derelict outbuilding.
Firefighters have since started scaling back their response, but DWFRS expects crews to remain at the scene for “some considerable time”.
While no Wiltshire crews attended the scene this morning, some may have been mobilised to provided cover at stations across Dorset.
A significant amount of smoke has been rising from the incident and people affected in the surrounding area have been advised to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution.
DWFRS said it currently believes the fire was started deliberately, with investigations ongoing.
The incident comes after the fire service declared a major incident on Thursday (13 August) because of the number of incidents it was dealing with, a red wildfire alert, drought conditions and extreme heat across Dorset and Wiltshire.
People are being urged not to have BBQs on heathland or in open spaces and not to light bonfires or other fires outdoors.
An Emergency Alert was also sent to mobile phones across England and Wales on Friday (14 August), warning people against lighting fires in gardens, the countryside and other open spaces because of the very high wildfire risk.
