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Rain helps dampen heathland fires

(England Twitter)-Fires have raged in Swinley Forest, near Ascot and Bracknell, since Monday.

Berkshire fire service had crews in 10 engines working at the site overnight but scaled up resources to 100 firefighters in 20 engines at 0500 BST.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is still tackling heathland fires which broke out in the Swinley Forest area earlier in the week, but crews across the rest of the UK seem to have tamed the majority of blazes.

Some of the many fires that have raged in tinder dry countryside across the nation for the past week are thought to have been started deliberately.

Dry peat has been burning underground and about 200 firefighters from seven county forces have been using hoses to dampen down "hot spots" over 300 hectares (740 acres).

The fire service said torrential rainfall was needed for about a week "without stopping" for the fire to be put out.

Lancashire Fire Service said almost all the moorland fires have now been extinguished, but firefighters are still at the location of two blazes. A fire service spokesman said five appliances are at a fire in Belmont which started last Friday, while one team of firefighters is making sure a blaze at Simonswood did not reignite.

About 200 firefighters from seven counties have been involved in tackling the fires near Ascot and dampening down hot-spots.

 In Lancashire moorland fires have occupied the crews of 32 of the county's 39 fire stations for the best part of a week.

The Swinley Forest fire has affected 300 hectares of land since Monday afternoon and destroyed at least 40 hectares.