Suffolk wildfire 'stabilising' after hours of battling blaze near nuclear plant

The Suffolk wildfire is "stabilising" after emergency services battled the blaze near a nuclear plant.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has said it is in a "better position" for tackling the blaze in Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, which has been burning since Wednesday evening.

The fire is located a few miles from Sizewell B nuclear power station and the construction site for the new Sizewell C site, but the authorities have assured there is no concern about the blaze reaching the plant.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue said this morning "crews and officers remained at the incident overnight".

At least 12 fire engines will remain at the scene today, the service said, to tackle smaller blazes.

It added power has returned for 111 of the 116 properties which experienced power cuts due to the inferno.

The area affected by the fire had grown to 150 hectares – approximately 210 football pitches, the service confirmed on Thursday.

A total of 18 fire engines were deployed, along with more than 100 firefighters, to tackle the blaze.

The London Fire Brigade's appliances were also brought in to assist with the effort.

A statement from the fire service said: "Although the fire is dynamic, it remains stable and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is making good progress and confident that tactics are working and moving in the right direction."

Freddie Gulliver, from the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit, said there is currently no concern of the fire spreading towards Sizewell B.

Roughly 50 people were evacuated from their homes and Cliff House Holiday Park.

They were relocated to Westleton, with the village hall repurposed as a rest centre for evacuees.

Mr Gulliver praised the local community, describing them as "absolutely fantastic" as they opened up their homes to those having to flee the fire.

He said: "They’ve been absolutely brilliant at looking after everyone, so I want to stress my thanks and gratitude to everyone involved."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Suffolk Fire and Rescue will have "all of the support" needed to tackle the blaze.

An EDF spokesman said yesterday the fire was "not affecting operations at Sizewell B power station", but the energy company was "closely monitoring the situation".

It is understood the nuclear power plant has contingency plans in place in the event of an on-site fire.

Suffolk County Council said the Cliff House Holiday Park, which is home to around 200 caravans, was completely evacuated as a precaution.

Lisa Gordon, 54, who was on holiday with her husband and dog at the caravan park, was evacuated on Wednesday night.

She said: "Just looking at the pictures… it’s quite worrying how close it is to the park now.

"They are things that can be replaced. But it’s not the relaxing day we thought we’d be having."

The UK entered its fourth heatwave this week, with temperatures on Wednesday reaching over 30C in some areas.

Suffolk has only received two per cent of its average monthly rainfall for July, the Met Office said.