Firefighters tackle clifftop fire near Boscombe Pier

News imageDorset&Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Fire engine at near the clifftopDorset&Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
Firefighters spent about three hours at the scene

Firefighters have spent hours tackling a clifftop fire.

Crews were called to an area east of Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth at about 19:00 BST on Monday to deal with "heather and gorse well alight".

Firefighters from Springbourne, Westbourne, Christchurch, Redhill and Poole attended the scene along with police and council officers, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said.

No-one was injured and the cause of the fire is still unknown.

The cliff is home to British Feral goats that have been grazing the area near Boscombe Pier for 10 years.

The goats, that have become a popular local attraction, eat invasive species and improve the habitat for native plants and animals.

A social media page that reports on the goats movements posted that the animals were safe at the other end of their enclosure at the time of the fire.

Allow Facebook content?

This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

A water carrier from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service was also used to extinguish the blaze.

Crews left the site at 22:00.

News imagePresentational grey line

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.


More from the BBC