Public are continuing to sound the alarm as controlled fires burn across mid-Wales.

Yesterday on 27 March, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MWWFRS) were called to an incident in Llanidloes.

Members of the public sounded the alarm after the large grass fire was spotted off the Llanidloes mountain road at 4pm a few miles from Staylittle.

A grass fire raging into the night - captured during a Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service call out this month
A grass fire raging into the night - captured during a Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service call out this month (Mid & West Wales Fire & Rescue Service)

A fire crew attended the scene, where it was confirmed that it was a controlled burn by a landowner.

This comes as the Service reported an “exceptionally busy period”, where in one 24 hours they recieved over 1,000 calls relating to grass fires.

A spokesperson for MWWFRS said: “In the last fortnight alone, crews from across our response area have responded to over 250 individual grass fires.

“These incidents have put an increased demand on our personnel and resources, which have not only been experienced by our Firefighters on the fire ground, but also to our Joint Fire Control Centre operators.”

A grass fire affecting approximately 50 hectares of bracken and trees in Rhaeadr on Wednesday 19 March
A grass fire affecting approximately 50 hectares of bracken and trees in Rhaeadr on Wednesday 19 March (Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service)

One of the biggest fires they attended was a grass fire affecting approximately four hectares of land in Ponterwyd near Aberystwyth on 6 March.

The crews also fought a 50-hectare fire in Rhaeadr, a 300x500m fire in Cwmdu and a 20-hectare grass, brush and tree fire in Cymmer.

With dry weather forecasted to continue this week, MAWWFRS is continuing to closely monitor the situation across our response area, as well as working closely with our Wales Wildfire Board partners.

Due to the number of calls received, forces are asking the public to only call 999 “if your life or property is in immediate danger”.

Forces are urging landowners who are performing controlled burns, which are legal without a license between 1 October and 31 March in upland areas, to “burn responsibly” by alerting their local fire service before and after the burn is complete.