Pendine wildfire reignites as community battles blaze

Firefighters continued to tackle a wildfire at Pendine yesterday evening, after it reignited.

Pendine Community Council described it as a ‘significant fire’ on the coastal cliff on Sunday night, which increased considerably in size. Fire crews from Whitland, Tenby, Carmarthen, Pembroke Dock, Tumble, Narberth, Haverfordwest, Kidwelly and Llandeilo were at the scene near Morfa Bychan Beach in Pendine from shortly after 8pm.

After the fire was brought under control, it reignited again on Monday evening.

When the fire inititally broke out on Sunday night police were also in attendance and had to speak to people that were seen to still be ‘wild camping’ down Morfa Bychan who were refusing to leave

One person shared on social media: “This is purely down to irresponsible individuals having BBQs or fires.”

With that in mind, Pendine Community Council will be holding a meeting on Wednesday (August 19) at 6.30 pm in the Caban to discuss measures to ultimately prevent overnight camping within the bay and help to address some of the wider concerns surrounding the area.

“Pendine Community Council would like to express its sincere gratitude to all of the emergency services who responded so promptly and have worked tirelessly to tackle the significant fire which affected our community last night and continues to burn,” said Community Council chair Andrew Shaw on Monday.

“Without their immediate and determined intervention, the scale of the destruction this morning could have been very different. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for their bravery, professionalism and continued efforts.

“We would also like to extend our huge thanks to our local farming community.

“Their support, equipment and practical assistance were invaluable during what was an extremely challenging situation. Without their help, the situation could have been considerably worse.

“Personally, having witnessed the fire as it initially travelled up from Morfa Bychan, and then seeing how incredibly quickly it spread over the top of the cliff and onto adjoining land, I can only describe the experience as truly frightening.

“The speed and intensity with which the fire developed was something I have never experienced before and really brought home just how serious the situation had become.

“There are a number of videos circulating on social media showing the emergency services tackling the fire. They provide a sobering illustration of the scale and intensity of the incident and of the immense effort being made to bring it under control. Having seen the fire first-hand, it is difficult to overstate just how frightening the situation was.”

Cllr Shaw said that a number of residents were also required to leave their properties and seek alternative accommodation, which really emphasised the seriousness and scale of what happened and the very real impact the fire had on members of the community.

He continued: “Whilst it would not be appropriate to speculate on how this fire started, I am sure many within our community will understandably have their own opinions.

“What we can say is that, over recent months, we have become increasingly aware of overnight camping within Morfa Bychan, incidents of criminal damage and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“The Community Council has been, and continues to be, in discussions with a number of agencies and stakeholders who have an interest in the location.

“We are now looking at and formulating measures which we hope will ultimately prevent overnight camping within the bay and help to address some of the wider concerns surrounding the area.

“Our next Community Council meeting takes place this Wednesday at 6.30pm, and we have agreed that Morfa Bychan will be the opening agenda item.

“The meeting will be held at The Caban, and we would very much welcome members of the public to attend, share their thoughts and concerns, and contribute to the discussion.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Caban for kindly providing the venue at such short notice, enabling us to hold this important meeting and give the community an opportunity to come together so soon after the incident.”

Cllr Shaw said that the meeting will also provide the Community Council with an opportunity to update residents on the discussions that have taken place to date with the various interested stakeholders and agencies, as well as the measures currently being considered for Morfa Bychan.

“We would, however, respectfully ask that this update and Wednesday's meeting are not used simply as an opportunity to vent frustration or concerns,” he explained.

“We fully understand the strength of feeling within the community, particularly following what happened last night, and there will be an opportunity for residents to express their views.

“What we now need, however, is a considered, constructive and properly directed plan of action.

“Our focus must be on working together with the relevant agencies and stakeholders to put effective measures in place and ensure that an incident of this nature is not repeated.

“This is an important issue for our community, and we believe it is essential that residents have an opportunity to be heard, share their experiences and understand what steps are being considered. Most importantly, we need to turn those concerns into positive and practical action.

“Our thoughts remain with everyone who has been affected by the fire. To our emergency services, our local farmers, The Caban, and everyone who assisted during this extremely difficult incident — thank you. Your efforts and support have made an enormous difference to our community.

“Please continue to follow official advice and updates from the emergency services, and avoid putting yourselves or others at risk by approaching affected areas,” he added.

Pendine Community Council has confirmed that beach parking will be open today from approximately 11.30am to 5pm - but with absolutely no BBQs or fires permitted.

“Following the ongoing wildfire situation, we ask everyone to act responsibly and take extreme care,” they stated.

“Please do not carry out any activity that could create a flame, spark or otherwise risk starting another fire. Our wardens will be actively monitoring the beach throughout the day, and we ask everyone to respect these restrictions.

“Please help us protect our community, surrounding land, wildlife and emergency services by enjoying the beach safely and responsibly. Thank you for your cooperation.”