“Challenging times” for fire service as three wildfires reported in days

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At least three separate fires have been started in and around Caerphilly over the past week, as the fire service warns “reckless” fire-setting will “not be tolerated”.

Fires near Llanbradach, Pontlottyn, and Rhymney have all been reported to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) in what has been an “incredibly busy and challenging” few days.

Most recently, SWFRS crews were called to reports of a grass fire near Pontlottyn at around 8.30pm on Thursday March 20.

Crews from Abercynon, Aberbargoed, Tredegar and Rhymney attended the scene, but were withdrawn from the mountain for safety and reinvestigated this morning (Friday March 21).

A stop message was received at around 9am.

At around 3.30pm on Thursday, crews were called to a grass fire just north of the borough, off the A465.

Crews attended to tackle the blaze, which was extinguished at around 3.20am in the early hours of Friday morning.

There was also a wildfire reported in Llanbradach earlier this week, which led to police wanting to speak to a man from Caerphilly.

The fire service’s head of operations, Matt Jones, said: “This week has been an incredibly busy and challenging time for our crews and joint fire control, with multiple wildfires across South Wales placing significant pressure on our resources.

“Wildfires not only put our firefighters at risk but also endanger our communities, devastate local wildlife, and cause long term damage to our environment.

“Our arson reduction teams are working closely with South Wales Police and Gwent Police to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. Deliberate fire-setting is reckless and will not be tolerated.

“We urge the public to remain vigilant, report any suspicious behaviour to the Police, and help us protect our communities from the devastating impact of wildfires.”