Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote

Yes but in such cases great care is taken to be sure that it cannot re
ignite before the burners leave the area.

That isnt always possible with weather changes.

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:37:09 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 12/02/2021 09:56, GB wrote:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-56037220

I'm really surprised that Dartmoor has caught fire, given the amount of
rain we've had and the cold weather. What is burning?

one assumes peat.

I share your perplexity

More likely gorse. It can burn fast and fiercely when it gets going,
and there's been a strong easterly wind these last few days, to fan
it. But what started it is the question. It's in a fairly remote area,
so less likely to be deliberate vandalism. Perhaps a controlled burn
that got out of hand. Controlled burning, known as swaling, is
permitted during the winter months, to burn off old dead vegetation
and encourage new growth. It's traditional and been done for centuries
over all the moors of Devon and Cornwall.
https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/living-a...arming/swaling

--

Chris