Chobham Common - Fire

Fire

Fires occurred fairly regularly during the 1950s and 1960s and the whole of Chobham Common was seriously damaged by major fires in the early and mid 1970s which caused the loss of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) and sand lizard from the site and allowed extensive areas of purple moor grass and bracken to establish. Since 1976, a network of fire tracks and firebreaks has been created and progressively upgraded. Since 1990 rangers and volunteers have fire watched during periods of high risk and in 2006 the rangers were equipped with a fire fighting system. These measures together with close liaison with the Surrey Fire Service have served to reduce both the frequency and scale of fires on the site.

The major utilities that cross Chobham Common were constructed during the 1950s and early 1960s. The M3 motorway was completed in 1974 cutting the site in half. Some attempts were made at mitigation work at the time, but with hindsight they were both inappropriate and inadequate and large blocks of gorse (Ulex europeaus) developed in the zone of disturbance on either side of the motorway creating further fragmentation of the site and causing serious fire risks. Following serious fires in 2001 and 2002 the Department for Transport provided funding for clearance of the gorse in the zone of disturbance and this area is mown annually to suppress any gorse regrowth.

The Fires occur mainly in summer due to the heat and dryness of the common. causes of the fires have multiple causes mainly summer heat but because the common is a live firing range, they can be sometimes caused by military activity like the May 2010 fire. Some causes are thought to be arson or accidental because around the edge of the range at good tracks for ralleys on bikes and some areas have good areas to build dirt jumps, these attract teenagers to use them and sometimes start a small fire, some people think this is a cause as the fire could have gotten out of hand.

Once a fire occurs it can spread fast due to the summer heat that has dry grass, bushes and trees. The fires usually only last up to a week due to the size of the area and speed of the blaze. When a fire breaks out, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (in the case of the May 2010 fire, Hampshire Fire and Rescue helped to fight the fire) arrive around the edge of the ranges usually concentrates the large fire engines at a point where the fire is near and large and firefighting 4x4 Landrovers patrol for small fires that can be extinguished easily with the Landrover that carries a small water tank and pump to fight fires. The fire service cannot enter the ranges due to unexploded ammunition that can be detonated by the fire and which can be heard exploding: for this reason, the fire service can only contain the fire.

Fires usually blanket the area with smoke, and pieces of ash fall from the sky. For the May 2010, fire there were no health issues concerning the fire; areas were cordoned off and patrolled by Surrey Police but people were told not to panic about the fire, as there are a lot of built areas around the common. The fires usually attract people to see the firefighters fight the fire; there are some issues that people interrupt or distract the fire service but they are usually minor.