A field fire has been averted thanks to the swift actions of passing motorists who stopped to extinguish a fire at the side of the road earlier this afternoon (Saturday).
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were called to Whitehouse Road near Porchfield just after 15:00 following reports of a grass verge alight.
Island Echo understands that the fire begun as a result of a cigarette being discarded out of a car window.
Thankfully, motorists quickly spotted the fire developing and were able to stop it spreading ahead of the arrival of firefighters, who then damped down the area.
With tinder dry conditions being experienced across the Isle of Wight even the smallest of ignition sources can spark a much larger fire.
Earlier this week Tim Spencer-Peet, Senior Officer for the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service issued a reminder to Island residents:
“During this period of prolonged dry, hot weather can people be very mindful of BBQs, bonfires or any other ignition source, including smoking materials, to ensure they are properly extinguished.
“As we have seen from incidents in the north of the country, fire can spread extremely quickly in the undergrowth which is tinder dry”.
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