A FIRE commander has urged people to be careful on heathlands after around 15 hectares of gorse was damaged in a fire near Hartley Wintney.

Reptiles were killed and the breeding grounds of birds destroyed as dozens of firefighters tackled the flames at Hazeley Heath for seven hours on Sunday evening.

Now, group commander for North Hampshire at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ryan Thurman, has appealed to people to be careful on heathland as the UK prepares itself for more hot weather last week.

Parts of North Hampshire saw temperatures of 21 degrees and beautiful sunshine on Sunday - with more hot temperatures and sunshine forecast for this week.

And these conditions mean that there is still a risk of the fire restarting in the days that follow, according to Mr Thurman.

He told the Gazette: "These fires often burn underground so could go for some time.

"We have got to try to get water into the ground. They can crop up a couple of days later where there are hotspots."

He added that anyone using heathland should avoid doing "anything that could put themselves at risk" or "anything that could cause a fire".

"We are still trying to determine the cause of [yesterday's] fire but a lot of similar fires are caused by people being careless such as a cigarette and a barbecue.

"The fire when it is a bit windy can spread very fast and put people in danger."

Mr Thurman also mentioned that people continued to go across the part of the heathland that was burning - including one incident where a cyclist suddenly appeared out of the smoke and went straight through where the fire crews had set up.

"If you are about and see a fire," he continued, "call 999 straight away. If we are there, just turn around and go the other way.

"Don't make our job harder than it has to be. Help us to help yourself."

As previously reported, dozens of firefighters descended on the reserve, near to Hartley Wintney, last night after a massive fire covering 20 hectares - the size of 37 football pitches - broke out.

According to the RSPB, the blaze has "wiped out" the breeding ground of nesting birds and "devastated" reptiles and habitats that volunteers have worked to bring back.

They say that the heathland "cannot cope" with the amount of people using it, which has increased since the coronavirus lockdown.