A NATURE reserve has been damaged by two fires caused by carelessly disposed lit cigarettes.
Firefighters are urging people who smoke to dispose of their cigarettes properly following two fires at a Billericay Nature Reserve over the past few days.
Crews were called to Mill Meadows on Friday at 11.30am and on Sunday evening at around 7pm following reports of small fires there.
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On Friday a quick-thinking resident rushed to the scene and used a bucket of water to put out the flames.
On Sunday a bench was on fire and has been damaged. A passing dog walker used their dog’s drinking water on to stop the fires from spreading.
The fires could have been caused either accidentally or deliberately.
However, firefighters want to encourage people not to discard any smoking materials in the area.
Watch Manager Mark Blakebrough said: “The landscape is still extremely dry and if a fire was to develop it would be hard to contain due to the difficult access.
“It could endanger both the wildlife within the reserve and the properties backing onto it.”
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