WATCH: Perfect storm for a wildfire in Alderney

Wednesday 20 July 2022

Extreme heat, dry gorse and a lightning strike proved to be the perfect storm for a wildfire in Alderney yesterday.

The Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade said it was “highly likely” that a direct lightning strike was the cause of the fire. The volunteer crews were on the scene at Fort Tourgis for seven hours.

Chief Fire Officer, Mark Gaudion, said the crew, consisting of 11 volunteers in total, train each Wednesday and deal with wildfires “two or three times a year”. 

“We have not seen a wildfire through a lightning strike before. The last incident I can recall with lightning was in the 1970s when a house roof was completely destroyed after a lightning strike,” he said. 

Mr Gaudion said the location of yesterday’s fire made the task of extinguishing the fire particularly challenging. 

“The fire was largely within the old fort structure, so access was difficult. We had to carry the equipment uphill to the site, which was difficult in the heat, but it all went as well as could be expected,” said Mr Gaudion. 

In a statement issued by the Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade on social media, it said that bystanders advised the most appropriate access point would be via the picnic area. 

“When crews arrived, they were hampered by the smoke and heat from the fire due to the north-westerly winds. The decision was quickly made to redeploy to the car park at Clonque. 

“Access to the site was extremely difficult due to the steep terrain, and thickness and height of the gorse and bramble. For the first part of gaining access, crews had to use a ladder to be able to get hoses to an area where they could be deployed.”

Pictured: The Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade Facebook page shared a photo of a lightning strike which could have caused the wildfire. 

Nine crew members attended the fire and deployed two main jet hose lines, consisting of 12 hoses in total. 

“All nine crew members remained at the site for seven hours. With dense gorse, it is entirely possible for the fire to keep burning in the undergrowth. We didn’t want to leave until we were certain that the fire would not restart,” said Mr Gaudion. 

States of Alderney Representative, Alex Snowdon, witnessed the event. 

“Like a lot of other people, I happened to be driving past Fort Tourgis and saw the smoke. I stopped and could see that the fire was moving quite considerably down the gorse bank,” he said. 

“Yesterday’s fire is a reminder of just how quickly wildfire can spread particularly in such extremely high temperatures. I would encourage islanders and visitors to be exceptionally careful with cigarettes, barbeques or any other activity which could cause a fire.”

Pictured: The blaze was largely within the ruins of Fort Tourgis. (Credit: Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade Facebook page.)

Mr Snowdon said “considerable effort” by the emergency services was involved in tackling the blaze and cordoning off a nearby road. 

“I would like to say, ‘well done’ to our fantastic fire brigade, who I believe were at the scene in less than half an hour. Well done also to the people who raised the emergency call,” he said. 

“Luckily the fire was in a ruin and not a habitable area and thankfully no one was hurt. Everyone should be extra careful and take necessary precautions to avoid starting a wildfire, particularly in this weather.”

Pictured: Volunteer fire crews were on the scene for seven hours to ensure the fire did not restart. 

Crews returned to the station and were fully serviceable again by 21:00. 

Pictured top: Volunteer fire crews tackling the wildfire. (Credit: Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade Facebook page.)