Yesterday, an Airbourne Solutions Eurocopter AS350 helicopter made several trips from Frensham Pond to Hankley Common to assist the service in mitigating the spread of the fire.
Yesterday marked the fourth day of the incident, and approximately 50 hectares of land have been affected, though no property on or adjacent to the Ministry of Defence training area is believed to have been damaged.
While operations continue, the public is advised to avoid the common. On Tuesday, residents who had been evacuated returned to their homes.
Surrey Fire and Rescue has received assistance from Waverley Police, the Ministry of Defence Police, and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
“This is the first time in Surrey that we have coordinated water bombing activities from a helicopter to support firefighting operations,” said Acting Chief Fire Officer Dan Quin. This additional effort by ourselves, the Ministry of Defence, and Surrey Police should help us put a stop to this wildfire. I am extremely proud of all of the crews and personnel who have worked on this incident; it has been another long incident in difficult weather conditions, but we are making progress. I’d also like to thank the residents, local farmers, and the Hankley Common Golf Club for their assistance.”
“We have been supporting our colleagues in the fire service throughout the week to help contain the fire at Hankley Common, which included aerial firefighting exercises yesterday,” said Inspector Sam Adcock, Borough Commander for Waverley. Several road closures were in effect, but they have now been lifted.
“I’d like to thank the Waverley residents for their continued patience with the fire’s disruption.” I’d also like to express my gratitude to Surrey Fire and Rescue, who have been working tirelessly to keep us safe.”
