MOD launches investigation after five-day fire caused by British Army

An investigation has been launched after a fire at Longmoor Training Area was caused by British Army explosives.

The fire, which was ignited after demolition safety training by the British Army, lasted for five days and scorched more than 16 hectares of woodland and scrubland.

A Ministry of Defence (MOD) spokesperson said the department takes "preventing and controlling fires on the defence estate extremely seriously and we use significant mitigations to reduce risk".

As a precaution, the ground was pre-soaked with water ahead of the training, explosive charges were lifted off the ground in areas with no vegetation, and fire beaters, extinguishers and a water bowser were ready to use.

Additionally, between each explosive practice, the ground was checked for signs of fire while an unmanned aerial vehicle monitored for fire from above.

"An investigation continues into the fire at Longmoor Training Area to examine how this can be prevented in the future. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents."

The investigation will be conducted exclusively by the MOD, who added it now "understands how the fire was caused and now need to identify if the training could have been conducted without the fire starting".

"This internal investigation will further inform our decisions in the future," the MOD said.