Surrey’s Hankley Common fire declared major incident. Here's what happened

The fire service was called in after a fire broke out in Surrey’s Hankley Common at a beauty spot, impacting about eight hectares of land. Several fire engines rushed to the spot following the call about the incident, as informed by the Surrey Fire & Rescue Service. The fire broke out at midday on Sunday, and many images from the scene have been doing the rounds on the internet.

The fire service posted a picture of the incident, which shows large fumes of grey smoke and wild flames across the beauty spot. The service department thanked its staff and partners on ground zero for working tirelessly to control the fire.

In a Twitter thread, the Surrey Fire & Rescue Service declared the fire a "major incident" and urged the public to stay away from the affected areas. It also directed the residents and shopkeepers to keep their doors and windows shut and their children and pets indoors, as there was a great deal of smoke. Further in the thread, the fire service informed that 19 fire service vehicles were deployed at the spot, including fire engines, 4x4s and specialist units.





The department further informed us that they were receiving help from Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex fire departments. As reported by the media, the Surrey Police were also assisting the fire service personnel. The thread also mentioned that some local roads were closed throughout the process, and the escalation to "major incident" was eased at 6.40 pm. The fire's cause is unknown as of now, and no casualties were reported.

The fire service department requested citizens to help in preventing wildfires during the summer holidays. In an effort to create awareness, the fire service asked users to educate their young relatives and friends about outdoor safety. They also requested users to carry packaged food to picnics instead of outdoor BBQs and to dispose of cigarettes and litter appropriately.