PEOPLE in Tenbury and the Teme Valley are being warned about the danger of fires in the open.

This follows a number of incidents near to Tenbury as a result of the very high temperatures and bone dry ground.

At the end of a week that saw nearly 200 callouts to a variety of incidents across the two counties, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to take exceptional care

An ‘Extreme Heat Warning’ warns of potential adverse effects to people vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as heat risks to the wider population.

This week caps a period of extraordinary activity for the fire service during the last four weeks totalling some 634 incidents.

In an exceptionally busy week for the Service, crews have attended some 193 incidents in the week up to August 12.

Of these calls, 143 have been to fires, with 94 of them being to fires in the open.

After extreme fires last month on the Lickey Hills and Hartlebury Common, last week saw a serious fire at Great Witley near Tenbury, that joined other fires in the open in and around Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove, Stourport on Severn, Stourbridge and Ledbury among many others on the list.

Disposable barbecues continue to be a particular danger, with evidence of their continuing use in the countryside and their potential to ignite tinder-dry ground.

The Great Witley fire involved three vehicles being burnt out, and affected gardens and garages.

Other callouts have been to fires on farmland, embankments, hedgerows, and involving rubbish and refuse, gardens and trees, as well as to water incidents and animal rescues, and flooding of internal electrics.

There were 16 calls to accidents on motorways and county roads, a further 16 to rescues and 18 classified as ‘other,’ of which eight were to assist paramedics.

The Service has also deployed to several water and animal rescue incidents.

To tackle some of these callouts, the Service has worked alongside fellow firefighters from neighbouring services including the West Midlands and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Services.