Heatwave triggers record call-outs for Derbyshire firefighters

The county’s fire service reported that from Friday until Sunday, August 12 to 14, their crews attended 80 fires, with the peak on Saturday of 33 fires. The service normally averages nine fires a day at this time of year.

Group Manager Darren Pick commented on Twitter: "We are seeing many of those fires attributed to careless use of disposable barbecues, garden fires and also smoking materials that are being discarded in tinder-dry hedgerows and grasses.”

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Over the week, from Monday to Sunday the service attended 187 fires, including a major incident at Creswell on Friday afternoon, which was the highest weekly total since the current incident recording system was implemented in 2009.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “Our firefighters, officers, 999 emergency control operators and support employees have worked tirelessly to respond to the grass fires, reports of barbecues in the open, garden fires that have got out of control, hay and barn fires, and crop fires in our county, as well as providing over the border support to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue

“Of course it's not over for us, while temperatures are dropping the risk of fire remains as everywhere is still tinder dry, so please continue to follow our fire prevention advice.

"We want to thank our communities for following our fire prevention and drowning prevention advice, as we believe it would have been even more busy if we hadn't been warning of the dangers and how to prevent emergencies. A big thank you to our partners for continued support too.”