Thick smoke and a strong smell of burning are affecting Calne and Chippenham today, with the smoke clearly visible across parts of the area and residents asking where it is coming from.
The smell of burning and haze can be noticed across Calne, with reports from areas including Mile Elm and elsewhere in the town. Similar reports are coming from Chippenham.
With several fires reported across Wiltshire and the surrounding area in recent days, there has been speculation locally about whether the smoke could be coming from a fire closer to home.
Calne News contacted Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service this morning to check whether there was an ongoing incident in or around Calne and Chippenham.
A spokesperson for the service told us there isn't anything on their logs in our area at the moment. They added: “We're aware of smoke across the county, which is from multiple fires across the region.”
The service is advising anyone experiencing a particularly strong smell of smoke in their area to close windows and doors as a precaution.
The widespread smoke comes as Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service continues to deal with a high number of incidents across the region.
Yesterday (13th August), the service declared a major incident because of the number of incidents being dealt with, the red wildfire alert, drought conditions and extreme heat affecting Dorset and Wiltshire.
The service said it was working hard to respond to emergency calls as quickly as possible and reassured the public that anyone calling 999 for the fire service would receive help.
With conditions remaining extremely dry and hot, residents are being urged to take extra care and avoid unnecessary risks.
DWFRS is asking people not to have barbecues on heathland or in open spaces and not to have bonfires or other open fires. People are also being reminded to extinguish cigarettes properly and never throw cigarette ends onto the ground or out of vehicle windows.
Anyone who sees a fire in the countryside is being urged to report it immediately by calling 999. The service advises people to get to a safe place, note the location of the fire and meet firefighters at the entrance if possible.
Residents are also being warned not to attempt to tackle fires which cannot be safely extinguished with a bucket of water.
At present, DWFRS has not identified an incident on its logs in the Calne or Chippenham areas in connection with the smoke being reported this morning.
We will update this story if we receive further information.
Image from: Westbury Fire Service
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