A fire has broken out at Bournemouth beach in front of hundreds of sunbathers
Firefighters were called to West Undercliff at 3.51pm and have asked people to stay away from the area. Three beach huts and a section of the heath on the cliff face are on fire, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Brigade said.
The cause for the beach fire is not yet clear, but locals on social media have claimed that a beach hut “exploded”.
The fire caused smoke to billow up the cliff face where it spread to burn 330sq ft of scrubland above the beach, the Fire and Rescue Service added.
Hundreds of people enjoying the sunny weather watched from the beach as eight fire engines tackled the blaze in the mid-afternoon.
This comes after the government has admitted that its contact tracing programme, that Boris Johnson pledged would be ‘world beating’, is unlawful in a legal letter which confirms that it has been breaching data protection laws since it has been running in May.
Fire crews from Redhill Park, Springbourne, Westbourne and Christchurch are at the scene and additional crews have been called in.
A spokeswoman said that: “The fire is causing significant smoke across the promenade and across West Hill Road.”
“People are asked to stay away from the area, and to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution.”
Journalism student Ross Millen, who is at the scene, said on Twitter: “A large segment of the cliff between Bournemouth pier and Branksome beach has caught fire.”
“Emergency services all on scene and the section of beach nearest the fire has been evacuated.”
“Locals saying they first smelt the smoke from the town centre around 45 minutes ago.”
He added: “Witnesses say the fire was caused by the inflammation of a beach hut against the coast wall. Has been burning for an hour at least now.”
A Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “The fire is causing significant smoke across the promenade and across West Hill Road.”
“People are asked to stay away from the area, and to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution.”
This comes after the United Kingdom has secured early access to 90 million COVID-19 doses of two kinds of coronavirus vaccine through partnerships between the government and pharmaceutical companies.
Dorset Police added in a statement: “Please avoid the area of the West Cliff lift on Bournemouth’s West Cliff following a beach hut fire, which has spread to nearby beach huts and is moving up the cliff.”
“A cordon is in place for the safety of members of the public. We are assisting with the cordon.”
