Fire crews have put out a grass fire that covered 80 hectares of grassland and forestry near Wattsville.

The blaze broke out near Blackvein Industrial Estate on Wednesday (April 15), with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service called at around 2pm.

The fire was reported to have been visible from Risca and Caerphilly town.

The fire service deployed six fire engines, two specialist wildfire vehicles and a helicopter, and worked with Gwent Police, Natural Resources Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council to deal with the fire.

Emergency services remained at the scene until the evening, dealing with “small pockets of fire and smoke” to “ensure the fire did not impact or effect the surrounding communities”.

A spokesperson for the fire service described it as a “difficult and challenging incident” that took “many hours” to bring under control.

Incident commander Matt Jones, said: “We ask members of the public to pass on any information they may have which can assist us in identifying the cause of this fire.

“Our crews from all over south Wales have been working in difficult, challenging conditions to ensure the fire does not spread and impact the local community and further damage the surrounding area and wildlife.

“Anyone who has information about the deliberate grass fires should contact 101 immediately, or they call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Anybody who sees a fire, or anyone starting a fire, should call 999 immediately.”

In a statement, Gwent Police said: “We are seeking the public’s help so we can identify those involved in deliberate grass fires. Anyone with information about this incident can call us on 101, quoting log reference 2000128155.”