00:00Fire crews battled multiple wildfires across Wales on Tuesday evening, with one of the
00:06largest tearing through as many as 20 hectares of land in Llydyrch near Swansea.
00:11The fire on Gellirwestad Mountain sent flames and thick smoke into the night sky, visible
00:16for miles.
00:17Crews from Morriston, Pontarddaui and Neath fought the blaze for more than four hours
00:21before finally bringing it under control just after 11pm.
00:25But Llydyrch wasn't the only area affected as significant grass fires also broke out
00:29in Caerphilly, where immunity services worked late into the night to prevent it from spreading
00:33further.
00:34Residents reported the strong smell of smoke, and with warmer, drier conditions worsening,
00:39many fear it won't be the last time that fires threaten the area.
00:42Clare Kempster, who lives in Craig Kevin Park near Llydyrch, said wildfires have been breaking
00:46out in the area for the past week.
00:48She said they do land management on gorse bushes, sometimes it's the farmers clearing
00:52the gorse bushes, and sometimes it's an accident.
00:56At one point the fire was only a few hundred metres from her house, she said.
01:01Elsewhere fires were reported in Ferndale, Myerdy Mountain, Ogmore Vale, Gallipentra
01:05and Fairwood Common in Swansea, as spokesperson for South Wales Fire and Rescue described
01:11the night as a pretty non-stop, with crews tackling multiple incidents across the region.
01:16With warmer weather on the way, there are growing concerns that more wildfires could
01:20break out in the coming weeks.
01:22Fire services are urging the public to take extra care in rural areas and to report any
01:26signs of fire immediately.
01:30With such high temperatures so early on in the year, there is certainly a level of concern
01:34in some areas.
01:35So many people around the country will be hoping wildfires don't become a theme as weather
01:40gets warmer.
01:41James Beech Watkins, reporting for Local TV.
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