Parkgate fire

A HUGE blaze swept through marshland at Parkgate in Neston. Firefighters were called to the incident shortly after 5pm on Saturday (March 19). The Leader: The ...

On Sunday morning, Cheshire Fire Service said the fire has now been extinguished. The fire was left to burn because of unstable ground. The blaze, which Cheshire Fire Service said is believed to have been started deliberately, involved 500 square metres of marshland - a site of special scientific interest (SSI).

A large fire broke out on marshland next to Parkgate in the Wirral, turning the sky orange and sending huge plumes of dark smoke into the night's air.

A lot of rare wildlife live on the marshland. It was like something out of a film. "We walked away from the scene as the fire was getting bigger and every time we turned around it seemed to be getting closer. "The fire is covering around one square kilometre of the area and is being driven by wind. A witness on the ground told the Mirror that the fire was close to around eight properties as of 8.15pm. As of 9.30pm the fire was still raging, with the number of emergency service workers on the scene only growing as the evening went on.

Crews tackled the rapidly-spreading wildfire overnight as it approached nearby homes and gardens.

"This is a significant fire with the potential for a large amount of wildlife to of been disturbed as a result. The designated SSSI is home to a large amount of wildlife, which police believe could have been severely affected by the fire. "We have created fire breaks to protect properties and the police air support unit has been used to give us information on the directional spread of the blaze.

Smoke and flames can be seen for miles as a wildfire rages on marshland.

Police have been advised as it is suspected that the fire has been started deliberately. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews are tackling a blaze involving around 500 square metres of marshland. The fire on the marshland is being left to burn because of unstable ground. The incident has been reduced to five fire engines. Cheshire Fire Service update at 6.56am this morning: One fire engine is still at the scene. Firefighters are continuing to tackle the fire.

Cheshire fire and rescue service said six fire engines were on site with firefighters initially battling two areas of flames with beaters and hoses. However, at ...

The fire service added that police have been advised it is suspected that the blaze was started deliberately and a fire investigator is due to attend. The fire is covering around one square kilometre of the area and is being driven by wind. The fire service said crews are expected to remain at the scene of the blaze on Neston marsh until about 2am.