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Chobham Common wildfire: Residents urged to stay away as firefighters continue to battle huge blaze

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

People evacuated from their homes have been warned not to return as fire crews continue to tackle a huge wildfire in Surrey.

The blaze started in Chobham Common on Friday, spreading to Wentworth golf course and halting play in the Rose Ladies Series Grand Final tournament.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said the fire spread to around 150 acres (61 hectares) at its peak and on Saturday urged people to continue to stay away from the area.

Fire crews are expected to continue to battle the blaze throughout the day.

The fire rages on Friday (Getty Images)
The fire rages on Friday (Getty Images)

The service said in a series of tweets: "A number of roads in the area remain closed and some properties were evacuated.

"Residents that were evacuated should not return to their homes."

It added: "Crews remain on scene at the fire on Chobham Common which spread to around 150 acres at its peak.

"Overnight the cooling temperatures & hard work of crews contained the spread but we're expecting firefighters to be on scene through the day.

"Please avoid the area for your own safety."

An ariel view of the fire (PA)
An ariel view of the fire (PA)

Cabinet minister and MP for Surrey Heath Michael Gove has described the fire as a “tragedy” and thanked search and rescue teams for their help in dealing with the incident.

Griff Ryan, 23, lives in Sunningdale near to the blaze, and said the fire began with a “strange light” at around 1pm before smoke and then later a “wall of flames”.

“Smoke got gradually worse and ash began falling into our garden,” he said.

“Now standing on Chobham road. At around 5pm fire still wasn’t visible from the road.

“Over about half an hour it’s become visible and now can see a wall of flames down towards the railway line.

“Other residents I’ve spoken to have said it’s the worst they’ve seen in 30 years.”

Smoke from the fire was visible well over ten miles away and had earlier been mistakenly thought to be coming from Heathrow airport by some on social media.

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Homes evacuated as crews continue to tackle 40-hectare Surrey wildfire