Dozens of firefighters dealing with blaze on heathland near Poole

Dozens of firefighters are currently dealing with a blaze on Canford Heath near Poole. Crews were called to the nature reserve at 7:39pm today (4 November). The fire covers an area of heath around 2.5 acres in size. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue says it has 14 firefighting appliances in attendance. Two crews from Christchurch, three from Poole, and others from Ferndown, Wareham, Wimborne, Hamworthy, Swanage, Blandford, Verwood, Burley and Ringwood are all dealing with the fire.

The fire can be seen from several miles away Credit: Dorset Drone Guy The fire service says it has also sent a support vehicle from Gillingham to assist crews. People are being asked to avoid the heath whilst the fire is brought under control. In a statement Poole Fire Station said: "We are currently dealing with a heath fire on Canford Heath which is creating a significant amount of smoke in the area. "We are advising local residents to keep doors and windows closed.

We do also ask people to avoid the area while we trying to bring this fire under control." Reporting History sees journalists join News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below...