00:00This summer outdoor fires is something that has become a familiar sight for those across the
00:04county with the grass fires starting almost every day. Since the start of May just in the county of
00:10Kent dotted around the fire service have attended to more than 300 accidental grass fires. But in
00:16July alone they attended to almost 200 grass fires. But what is the difference between a grass fire
00:21and a wildfire? It needs to meet one or more of these criteria. So if it involves area of at
00:30least
00:30one hectare which is 10 000 square meters, if there are a sustained flame length of more than one and
00:36a
00:37half meters, whether we have a committed fire engine resource of more than four fire appliances,
00:45whether we have resources committed for at least six hours and finally whether there is a serious
00:51threat to the life, environment, property or infrastructure. Within the last two weeks alone
00:55KMTV has already covered a number of outdoor fires. From a wildfire in Sittingbourne that saw around 40
01:01firefighters in attendance. The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the land itself is the fact
01:06that we've got some burnt out burrows as well and at the top of the trees we've got a lot
01:12of burnt
01:13leaves. So from the bottom of the ground to the top of the trees we have damage here. To a
01:18grass fire in
01:19Chatham smoke was seen coming from the area shortly after 4 30 pm. Then to a wildfire in the Isle
01:25of Grain
01:25which saw 10 fire engines in attendance. The wildfire broke out in a field near West Lane.
01:31As we've been standing here we've been able to see the source of that smoke, these red hot flames behind
01:35me that are eating away at this Isle of Grain field. Because of that Kent Fire and Rescue are urging
01:40people to be extra cautious especially with another upcoming heat wave. Prevention is best in these
01:46circumstances. So there are several accidental causes of outdoor wildfires that we're seeing
01:51at the moment. The first is discarded smoking materials. So we request that everybody ensures that
01:58cigarettes are correctly extinguished before disposing of them. Please never throw them from
02:04car windows etc. We do see a number of fires alongside the motorway on embankments and also
02:11alongside verges and hedges at this time of year and that's definitely something that can be prevented.
02:15And today crews are tackling flames on a field near Discovery Drive in Ashford with eight fire
02:21engines in attendance. With weeks of little rain leaving the ground very dry it doesn't take much
02:27for a fire to hold and as the risk continues something as small as a discarded cigarette,
02:32barbecue or even a glass bottle could have much bigger consequences on the environment,
02:38public safety and wildlife. Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV.
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