Around 20 fire appliances are tackling a major grassland fire at Mincinglake Valley Park in Exeter, with residents being warned to keep their windows and doors shut. Emergency services were called to the popular Devon beauty spot on Tuesday afternoon following multiple reports of a large fire spreading across the grassland. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the first calls were received at around 2.50pm. The incident has escalated significantly, with crews from around 20 fire appliances involved in efforts to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters have divided the incident ground into separate sectors as they work to contain the flames and prevent the fire spreading further. Large areas of grassland have already been left scorched, while thick plumes of smoke have been visible across the surrounding area. Fire chiefs warned that crews were likely to remain at the scene for “some time”. Devon and Cornwall Police officers are also at the scene, with members of the public urged to stay away while emergency crews continue their work. Residents living nearby have been advised to keep windows and doors closed because of smoke from the fire. The fire service said: “Please avoid the area to allow our crews to work on bringing the fire under control.” Mincinglake Valley Park is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust on behalf of Exeter City Council. The wildlife charity confirmed staff were at the park assisting emergency services following what it described as a “significant fire”. A Devon Wildlife Trust spokesperson said its immediate priority was public safety and supporting the emergency response. The trust has also urged people to stay away from the park until further notice. Officials said it was currently too early to establish the full environmental impact of the blaze on the popular urban green space. An assessment of the damage to the park and its wildlife is expected to take place once firefighters have made the area safe. The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed. Emergency crews were also called to a separate fire at Cranbrook earlier on Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters received multiple calls at around 1.30pm reporting conifer trees on fire. That incident was extinguished, with approximately a 50-metre stretch of trees and a 10-square-metre area of grass reported damaged. This is a developing incident and further updates will be provided as information becomes available.
Originally published by UKNIP.
