By Marissa Davison and Sam Tabahriti
DUNWICH, England, July 30 (Reuters) – A wildfire in eastern England has forced evacuations of nearby communities and prompted road closures, but was not expected to spread towards nuclear facilities a few miles away, officials and operators said on Thursday.
The blaze has burned across parts of Dunwich Heath, a rare surviving area of coastal lowland heath that is home to protected bird species and other wildlife.
For many evacuees, the scale of the fire brought scenes more commonly associated with southern Europe, forcing residents, holidaymakers and caravan owners to leave at short notice amid fears the blaze could change direction.
“I feel incredibly emotional,” said Jude Bayly, 73, a retired midwife who owns caravans in the evacuated area.
Bayly said she had watched towering flames and black smoke rise above the heath overnight. “It was licking flames way up into the sky, black plumes of smoke. It’s just horrendous.”
Others left behind belongings as they fled.
“We’ve just had to abandon it,” said Peter Barnes, a 77-year-old retired farmer who owns a holiday lodge in the area. He said they had to leave with only their clothes and car, “Everything else is just left.”
The blaze, described by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service as one of the most challenging incidents in its history, was a few miles north of French utility EDF’s Sizewell B nuclear power station, which generates electricity, and Sizewell C, a nuclear plant under construction.
“The terrain and land between us, the fire, and Sizewell B and C means that it’s not a significant fire spread concern,” the fire service’s Jon Lacey told reporters, adding that both sites were being monitored and that authorities were in consultation with their operators.
FIRE STILL DEVELOPING
Lacey said the fire remained “developing” and “progressing” and could continue burning for another 36 hours, adding that it was moving inland.
He said prolonged dry weather, high temperatures and coastal winds had combined to create a fast-moving fire that was particularly difficult to tackle.
Sizewell C said its sites and offices continued to operate normally and that it was assessing the effects of smoke and disruption to local roads.
EDF said the blaze was not affecting operations at Sizewell B, which is separated from the fire by a body of water.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government was monitoring the incident closely. “All of the support needed will be there,” he told reporters.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti in London and Marissa Davison in Dunwich; Writing by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by James Davey and Alex Richardson)
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