Thick smoke from a fire in Salsibury continues to plague Wiltshire and east Somerset this afternoon as the army allow the blaze to burn without any fire-fighting action.
The Ministry of Defence has told local media that the fire is being left the burn due to “safety reasons”, and sought to reassure the public that there is “there is no threat to life or property”.
It’s understood the blaze started on Friday 22 June and has continued to burn since.
Tweeting the MOD, resident Neil Lockhart said: “Uncontrolled fires on Salisbury Plain…. no advice or information to local residents and serious environmental pollution as well as a health risk.
“Someone needs to do better and extinguish the fires and avoid them being started.”
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that they will not intervene unless specifically asked to by the MOD, who are responsible for the land.
A spokesperson for the fire service tweeted on Tuesday: “Crews have attended and liaised with military officers regarding the ongoing fires. The fires are located within the impact area and as such our crews are unable to enter the risk area.
“Military personnel will continue to monitor the fires and request the attendance of the fire service if required. Members of the public are advised to keep windows and doors shut if they find they are being affected by the smoke. Thank you for your understanding.”
